In California water news today, Disadvantaged communities claim a stake in state groundwater overhaul; Scripps Institution of Oceanography gets $4.9M grant to find cause of deadly algae blooms; Q&A with Sean Maguire: Taking on tough challenges at the State Water Board; Fishery plans aim to add flexibility to water system; Study raises concern about e-cigarette waste; How lithium could be Calif.’s next ‘gold rush’; What western states can learn from Native American wildfire management strategies; Environmental prosecutions drop to lowest level in decades; Justice department ponders nixing environmental settlements tool; New technologies pull water out of thin air; and more …
On the calendar today …
- WEBINAR: The Emerging PFAS Framework: Testing, Reporting, and Response Obligations for Public Water Systems from 11am to 12pm. Hosted by Nossaman, LLP. Click here to register.
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
Disadvantaged communities claim a stake in state groundwater overhaul: “Jovita Torres Romo lives in a grayish bungalow surrounded by cactus and succulents and strung with Christmas lights. It’s located on one of the handful of streets that make up Tombstone Territory, an unincorporated Fresno County community that’s been her home for 30 years. … A tiny community on the outskirts of the City of Sanger, Tombstone is a bellwether for groundwater issues—one of the reasons Governor Gavin Newsom chose the community as the location to sign the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Act into law earlier this year. … ” Read more from KVPR here: Disadvantaged communities claim a stake in state groundwater overhaul
Scripps Institution of Oceanography gets $4.9M grant to find cause of deadly algae blooms: “Harmful algae blooms periodically erupt off the West Coast, injuring or killing marine mammals and costing fisheries millions. To better understand and predict these blooms, UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography has been awarded a $4.9 million federal grant. The five-year grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was announced Monday. It’s intended to shed light on why algae in the genus Pseudo-nitzschia sometimes produce the neurotoxin domoic acid. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune here: Scripps Institution of Oceanography gets $4.9M grant to find cause of deadly algae blooms
Q&A with Sean Maguire: Taking on tough challenges at the State Water Board: “The State Water Board is central to addressing many of California’s major water challenges, including protecting water quality for drinking and for the environment, addressing drought and water conservation, and managing the allocation of surface water. We talked to Sean Maguire, a civil engineer who was appointed to the board by former governor Brown in December 2018, about priority issues. PPIC: What are the big challenges the board is grappling with right now? Sean Maguire: At the top of our list is the Bay Delta water quality control plan. … ” Read more from PPIC here: Q&A with Sean Maguire: Taking on tough challenges at the State Water Board
Fishery plans aim to add flexibility to water system: “In an action that influences how water will move through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, federal fisheries agencies have issued new biological opinions to guide operation of federal and state water projects. Representatives of farmers and water districts said the opinions released last week promise to enhance the flexibility of the California water system. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries determined that the proposed long-term operations of the federal Central Valley Project and State Water Project do not jeopardize the continued existence of protected salmon and delta smelt in the bay-delta watershed. ... ” Read more from Ag Alert here: Fishery plans aim to add flexibility to water system
Study raises concern about e-cigarette waste: “Nearly two years ago, Jeremiah Mock heard a student in Marin County complain that her school was littered with e-cigarette waste. A health anthropologist by training, Mock did some shoe-leather investigating in a student parking lot, where he found a significant amount of e-cigarette and tobacco trash. Surprised, Mock went further. … ” Read more from Capitol Weekly here: Study raises concern about e-cigarette waste
How lithium could be Calif.’s next ‘gold rush’: “Derek Benson walks to the spot where the brine, surging upward from the depths, finds its outlet into the John L. Featherstone geothermal power plant. The pipe is 2 ½ feet in diameter and made of super-strong steel, but it trembles and squeaks like a living thing. The pipe is covered by a metal lid that is hot to the touch. Remove that lid, and a torrent of brackish, brown water combined with steam would be unleashed, cooking anyone in its path at a temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The salty gunk and steam passing through the maze of pipes can produces up to 55 megawatts of electricity. It comes from under the shores of the Salton Sea, a man-made lake in the far southeastern desert of California. … ” Read more from E&E News here: How lithium could be Calif.’s next ‘gold rush’
WILDFIRES
The California fires show how unprepared we are for climate change: “For days now, a cloud of acrid smoke has settled over the Bay Area, blown down from the Kincade Fire in the north. More than 200,000 people have been evacuated from that fire alone, while the lingering effects of a long drought and high winds have turned the region into a tinderbox. On Sunday, a sudden fire in Vallejo stopped traffic on a bridge across the northeast side of the bay, forcing workers to abandon toll booths as the bridge was swallowed with smoke. It’s a scary moment, made scarier by the slow grind of the climate crisis in the background, getting a little bit worse each year. … ” Read more from The Verge here: The California fires show how unprepared we are for climate change
What western states can learn from Native American wildfire management strategies: “For several months in 2019, it seemed wildfires wouldn’t rage across the West as they had in recent years. But then came the dry autumn and California’s Santa Ana and Diablo winds, which can drive the spread of wildfires. Utilities are shutting off power across the state to reduce the risk of damaged equipment or downed trees on wires causing fires. There’s no lack of proposals for managing wildfires more effectively: California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed 22 wildfire-related bills in one day. But what’s missing are perspectives from indigenous communities across North America, who have lived with fire for thousands of years. ... ” Read more from The Conversation here: What western states can learn from Native American wildfire management strategies
NATIONAL
Garamendi water infrastructure bill passes committee: “A bill by Rep. John Garamendi, D-Solano, to support local wastewater treatment and water recycling infrastructure projects unanimously passed the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Tuesday. The bill is part of House Resolution 1497, which aims to reauthorize the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund. … ” Read more from The Reporter here: Garamendi water infrastructure bill passes committee
Environmental prosecutions drop to lowest level in decades: “Prosecutions of environmental crimes dropped to historic lows under the Trump administration last fiscal year and one legal expert believes that could endanger public health. “There’s a risk that unenforced violations could lead to fires, leaks, spills, and contamination,” said Ethan Elkind, climate program director at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. … ” Read more from Courthouse News Service here: Environmental prosecutions drop to lowest level in decades
Justice department ponders nixing environmental settlements tool: “The Justice Department may end a nearly 30-year practice of letting companies make amends for pollution-related violations by performing environmentally beneficial projects, a department official told Bloomberg Environment. Stopping the use of supplemental environmental projects (SEPs) would go against the wishes of many in the business community, because the projects offer a way to lower the amount of fines while serving as positive public relations for a company. ... ” Read more from Bloomberg BNA here: Justice department ponders nixing environmental settlements tool
Cities, tribes try a new environmental approach: give nature rights: “When members of the White Earth band of Ojibwe in Minnesota take out their canoes to harvest wild rice, they’re gathering a source of nourishment and following a tradition that has connected them to the land for generations. But to the White Earth people, manoomin isn’t just a resource to be used — it’s an independent entity with the right “to exist, flourish, regenerate and evolve.” Other tribes and even some cities also are embracing the idea that Mother Nature has legal rights — setting the stage for court battles that could shake governments, businesses and the environmental movement. ... ” Read more from PEW here: Cities, tribes try a new environmental approach: give nature rights
‘Artifishal’ is the movie for our unwilding times: ” … My experience with fishing and hatcheries is shared by many anglers in the United States, including Josh “Bones” Murphy, who produced and directed Patagonia’s latest film, Artifishal, out on October 30. Murphy studied wildlife and fisheries biology at the University of Vermont, earned a master’s degree in fisheries, and went on to manage the on-campus hatchery at California’s Humboldt State University before shifting his attention to filmmaking. He got the directing job after Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard pitched him the idea of a movie about the backwardness of hatcheries. “He said, ‘We are doing a film about the arrogance of man,’” Murphy recently told me. “It was a perfect Yvon-ism.” … ” Read more from Outside Magazine here: ‘Artifishal’ is the movie for our unwilding times
This sponge-like nanomaterial uses HVAC systems to create water from thin air: “In cities hit by drought—including Harare, Zimbabwe, where the city turned off taps in some neighborhoods for weeks this summer—a new material could make it possible to pull clean drinking water directly from the air. The sponge-like nanomaterial, from Ireland’s University of Limerick and a think tank and incubator fund called Molecule, is designed to be used in existing dehumidifiers, where it can help HVAC systems save energy at the same time that it offers a new source of water. ... ” Read more from Fast Company here: This sponge-like nanomaterial uses HVAC systems to create water from thin air
Big if it works: new system aims to pull water right out of the sky: “Over 4 billion people live under conditions of severe water scarcity at least one month of the year. Over a billion people spend several hours a day searching for water, wasting precious time and putting them in frequent danger. … So it would go a long way to achieving global peace and ending global poverty if we could give these people water without a lot of cost and trouble, and without a lot of infrastructure. Like, say, pulling water right out of thin air. ... ” Read more from Forbes here: Big if it works: new system aims to pull water right out of the sky
In commentary today …
Delta biological opinions offer a better way forward, says Justin Fredrickson: He writes, “Long-awaited biological opinions for federal and state water projects are out—and the spin doctors are out in force. The biological opinions from federal fisheries agencies guide how to protect fish and wildlife in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta during coordinated operations of the federal Central Valley Project and State Water Project (see story). Their provisions in the past have contributed to reduced supplies for project water customers while fish populations continued to drop. … ” Read more from Ag Alert here: Delta biological opinions offer a better way forward
So how is that greenhouse gas reduction thing working for California these days? asks Dennis Wyatt: He writes, “Did you enjoy your view of the Altamont Hills Tuesday? There were there behind smoky brown haze. Are you among those dealing with itchy throats, coughs, and even headaches as California burns? If you are, then here is the real question: How is the state’s greenhouse gas policy working out for you? It is why the trifecta of the nation’s most expensive electricity, the nation’s most unreliable electricity, and the nation’s leading electrical provider for starting destructive wildfires is a true collaborative effort between the greedy corporate suite that has run PG&E into the ground, the blind lapdogs at the California Public Utilities Commission, the spineless and clueless state legislature, as well as pontificating and pandering governors. ... ” Continue reading at the Manteca Bulletin here: So how is that greenhouse gas reduction thing working for California these days?
In regional news and commentary today …
Camp Fire: A year later, cleaning up toxics continues at isolated locations: “Nearly a year later, crews are working to clean up the last toxic remains from the Camp Fire. The household and industrial chemicals in the soil and airborne ash are mostly gone, carried away by the truckload as part of debris removal. The contamination that does persist is mostly hyper-local and is being removed after additional, costly steps. For example, around one in three lots that the government is in charge of cleaning has needed to be rescraped because of higher-than-normal levels of contaminants in the soil, according to numbers provided to the Chico Enterprise-Record by the state’s CalRecycle. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: Camp Fire: A year later, cleaning up toxics continues at isolated locations
Glenn County: SGMA meeting scheduled for Nov. 6: “The public will have an opportunity to learn about the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and local implementation of the law at a public meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 6, according to a press release. In September 2014, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a legislative package comprised of three bills – Assembly Bill 1739, Senate Bill 1168 and SB 1319. … ” Read more from the Appeal Democrat here: SGMA meeting scheduled for Nov. 6
Pacific Grove council to be briefed on critical shoreline plan: “Elected officials in Pacific Grove will get a glimpse Wednesday at a developing plan that will govern efforts that will not only address that city’s plans to deal with rising sea levels and violent winter storms but will also provide wildlife safeguards and ongoing recreation opportunities to residents and visitors. The city’s coastline is almost entirely in the state’s Coastal Zone, an area running the length of California that was established in 1972 by the passing of the Coastal Act. Development within the zone is overseen by the Coastal Commission. ... ” Read more from the Monterey Herald here: Pacific Grove council to be briefed on critical shoreline plan
As deadline looms, Casitas schedules Monday start date for water diversion project: “A month before time runs out, the Casitas Municipal Water District has set Monday as a start date for work to fix problems at its diversion facility. The Ojai Valley agency planned a roughly $1 million project to clear part of a 9-foot pile of silt, sand and gravel from its Robles diversion facility. That’s where Ventura River water gets diverted into a canal and down to Lake Casitas. Without the work, Casitas officials said they could face emergency shutoffs, clogged fish screens and lost water this winter. Before they started, however, they needed permits from regional, state and federal agencies. … ” Read more from the Ventura County Star here: As deadline looms, Casitas schedules Monday start date for water diversion project
Dredging begins on San Dieguito River channel: “Dredging begins this week to open the mouth and restore tidal flushing to the San Dieguito Lagoon, near Dog Beach in Del Mar. Bulldozers will carve a route for dump trucks to travel beneath the Camino del Mar bridge and deposit sand on the nearby beach. The final step of the process, expected in about two weeks, will be the removal of the last plug of sand at low tide to begin the water’s flow into the ocean. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune here: Dredging begins on San Dieguito River channel
Along the Colorado River …
New agency assigned to Lake Powell Pipeline project could save $100 million, officials say: “A new federal agency is taking on the permitting process for the Lake Powell Pipeline. The Bureau of Reclamation was announced Tuesday as the new lead in overseeing the National Environmental Protection Act process for the pipeline, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior. The Utah Board of Water Resources withdrew its application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission after cutting two proposed reservoirs from the project in September. The reservoirs, at the top and bottom of Hurricane Cliffs, would have generated hydropower at peak times. … ” Read more from The Spectrum here: New agency assigned to Lake Powell Pipeline project could save $100 million, officials say
Colorado lawmakers plan to intervene in talks about water cuts: “Colorado lawmakers want a greater say in how the state manages its Colorado River water supplies. The legislative Water Resources Review Committee has endorsed a bill proposal that requires the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) to consider the committee’s feedback before finalizing a plan to slash the state’s water use in order to send more of it downstream. The Republican-backed proposal won bipartisan support last week from all 10 committee members. ... ” Read more from the Colorado Independent here: Colorado lawmakers plan to intervene in talks about water cuts
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
Navigating California’s new regulations for wetlands and state waters
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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.
