In California water news today, California’s wet again, the snowpack looks good and ski resorts are happy. Will it last?; Weather balloons gather data in the Yuba and Feather river watersheds during atmospheric rivers; Recent wet conditions eliminate much of state’s dry designation; State Water Project modernization highlights – 2019; Who you gonna call? Algae-bloom busters; The big science and environment stories of the decade; Newsom can’t have it both ways on California water, says the LA Times; California can solve its water shortage with the water we have. Here’s how, says Heather Cooley; and more …
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- BLOG ROUND-UP: Rapid changes in the Delta both diminish scientific certainty and increase science’s value; Central Valley salmon hatchery release strategies 2019; Moving forward on Flood-MAR with pilots; To break bread, we need water; Shark water redux; and more …
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: IID revises water order to support Colorado River, resolve Salton Sea pre-delivery issue; Metropolitan Water District, Bard Water District partner for Colorado River sustainability in California
- WATER PLAN eNEWS: ~~ Basin Prioritization~ New RCIS~ Irrigation Conference~ Rangeland Summit~ Splash: Hydrologic Regions ~~
- OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT: Draft Social Science Strategy for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
California’s wet again, the snowpack looks good and ski resorts are happy. Will it last? “Just a few weeks ago, it was one of the driest starts to the rainy season in modern California history. PG&E was shutting off power to tens of thousands of Californians as dangerously dry fire weather dragged on nearly to Thanksgiving. Now, after a handful of storms, the Sierra has a healthy coating of snow, and the Central Valley’s rainfall totals are about at their historic average. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: California’s wet again, the snowpack looks good and ski resorts are happy. Will it last?
Weather balloons gather data in the Yuba and Feather river watersheds during atmospheric rivers: “Earlier this month, Yuba Water Agency (YWA) invited media to the launch of the first weather balloon by scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography from a YWA facility. Atmospheric river storms, which provide half of California’s annual precipitation, can cause major Yuba-Feather flood events. Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) researches opportunities to improve reservoir operations and reduce flood risks by improving weather and runoff forecasts. The research is focused on both watersheds simultaneously, as Bullards and Oroville dams are operated in coordination to minimize downstream flood impacts. … ” Read more from YubaNet (pictures, too!) here: Weather balloons gather data in the Yuba and Feather river watersheds during atmospheric rivers
Recent wet conditions eliminate much of state’s dry designation: “A rainy few weeks may not guarantee a wet winter, but they helped the majority of California shake off an “abnormally dry” designation from the U.S. Drought Monitor. On Thursday, the team behind the weekly updates released a map showing nearly the entire state – 96.4% – was clear of any drought conditions. About half of that remaining 3.6 percent is in Siskiyou County. A good portion of neighboring Modoc County is also categorized as “abnormally dry.” … ” Read more from the Siskiyou Daily News here: Recent wet conditions eliminate much of state’s dry designation
State Water Project modernization highlights – 2019: “The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is moving forward with the modernization of State Water Project (SWP) facilities across the state to reduce seismic and hydrologic risks. Several projects kicked off in 2019 across California. Current and proposed projects represent a significant investment in addressing seismic and hydrologic risks to California’s water infrastructure. As we enter a new year, DWR will continue to identify and make improvements to SWP facilities that will ensure public safety and a reliable water supply. ... ” Read more from the Department of Water Resources here: State Water Project modernization highlights – 2019
Who you gonna call? Algae-bloom busters: “Toxic algae are a threat to public health and aquatic wildlife. Rising temperatures and an influx of alga food from agricultural runoff, stormwater, and wastewater have accelerated the growth of these naturally occurring organisms, causing blooms of historic proportions. … In Utah, sewer plants have been contributing to the size and frequency of algal blooms. The plants’ discharge contains phosphorus, which sends algae into reproductive overdrive. The physical removal of phosphorus is costly, so one sewer plant, run by the South Davis Sewer District, hopes to use the algae themselves to treat discharge so it’s clean enough not to trigger an algal bloom. ... ” Read more from Sierra Magazine here: Who you gonna call? Algae-bloom busters
The big science and environment stories of the decade: “The 2010s saw breakthroughs in medical science and spectacular discoveries in space and physics. For Californians, it was also the decade that climate change arrived in our front yards in the form of serial cataclysmic fire seasons. During the decade, scientists refined the regimen of HIV/AIDS medication, made life-saving advances in the treatment of cancer, and invented an entirely new gene-editing technology, with the hope of one day curing diseases before they begin. … ” Read more from KQED here: The big science and environment stories of the decade
In commentary today …
Newsom can’t have it both ways on California water, says the LA Times: They write, “It’s been a month since Gov. Gavin Newsom promised to sue the Trump administration to block stepped-up federal water diversions from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to agribusiness and urban areas further south. It would be a righteous lawsuit. Trump had promised agricultural interests that they would get more of the water that until now has been kept in rivers, by law, to protect delta wildlife and migrating fish threatened with extinction. ... ” Read more from the LA Times here: Newsom can’t have it both ways on California water, says the LA Times
California can solve its water shortage with the water we have. Here’s how, says Heather Cooley: She writes, “California is at a water crossroads. We can continue our costly, 100-year-old pattern of trying to find new water supplies, or we can choose instead to focus on smarter ways of using – and reusing – what we already have. With a population projected to top 50 million by mid-century, a booming economy and a changing climate, there is no question we need to shore up our water systems. But we don’t need an all-of-the-above strategy that sacrifices affordability and environmental health. Just like with energy, we must focus on the solutions that are better for our planet and pocketbooks. … ” Read more from Cal Matters here: California can solve its water shortage with the water we have. Here’s how
On the anniversary of John Muir’s death, a wish to see Hetch Hetchy restored, says Barbara Mossberg: “For days of infamy — Pearl Harbor and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting — December has a handful. In this list of national anguish two anniversaries of deaths loom. One hundred and six years ago: on Dec. 2, 1913, Congress passed 43-25 (with 29 abstentions) a law drowning Hetch Hetchy, the natural twin of Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, in order to provide water and power to San Francisco. On Dec. 24, 1914, John Muir died. Everyone and everything dies, but people believed the famously, indefatigably ebullient John Muir died of heartbreak. ... ” Read more from the Fresno Bee here: On the anniversary of John Muir’s death, a wish to see Hetch Hetchy restored
The myth of day zero: What we got wrong with water, says Will Sarni: He writes, ““Day Zero” is now part of the lexicon of water management. There are at least two things wrong with the term: The implication that it is an unavoidable surprise from mother nature, and that running out of water equally impacts everyone in society. Both of these perceptions are wrong and will be perpetuated as long as we continue to refer to “Day Zero.” It’s time for the public sector, businesses and civil society to implement real solutions to water scarcity and associated inequity. ... ” Read more from Thomas Reuters Foundation News here: The myth of day zero: What we got wrong with water
In regional news and commentary today …
California board seeks more feedback on Klamath dam removal: “The public can now comment through February 2020 on recirculated portions of the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Lower Klamath Project license surrender of the Federal Energy Regulatory Project. The proposed project — which Klamath River Renewal Corporations said could begin as early as January 2022 — consists of the decommissioning and removal of the J.C. Boyle, Copco No. 1, Copco No. 2, and Iron Gate Dams and associated facilities located on the Klamath River, according to a news release. … ” Read more from Herald & News here: California board seeks more feedback on dam removal
Corps, Orange County partner to complete flood channel before storm season: “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District and the Orange County Flood Control District completed flood channel repairs before Southern California’s flood season. The agencies hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to highlight the completion of repair work on Ocean View Channel, Dec. 20, in Huntington Beach, California. Ocean View Channel was constructed by the Orange County Flood Control District in 1962. The entire channel extends about four miles and provides critical flood-risk management for residents and businesses along its stretch – from Fountain Valley to Huntington Beach. … ” Read more from the Army Corps of Engineers here: Corps, Orange County partner to complete flood channel before storm season
San Diego: Chollas Creek restoration project gets boost from state: “After several hours of rain Tuesday morning, water rushed through a section of Chollas Creek in the City Heights neighborhood. The area is fenced off now. But in the coming years, City Heights residents, who have some of the fewest park access in the county, will be able to enjoy the creek up-close thanks to a $3.5 million grant from the California Natural Resources Agency. ... ” Read more from KPBS here: San Diego: Chollas Creek restoration project gets boost from state
And lastly …
Cancer-causing slime from Erin Brockovich case oozes onto Michigan highway: “A greenish-yellow liquid oozing onto a section of a major Michigan highway is the same cancer-causing substance that was involved in the notorious California water pollution case brought by activist Erin Brockovich, according to authorities and reports. … ” Check it our from the New York Post here: Cancer-causing slime from Erin Brockovich case oozes onto Michigan highway
Precipitation watch …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT: Draft Social Science Strategy for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
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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.
