In California water news this weekend, Los Angeles may store water under an Owens Valley lake drained to fill its faucets; Good numbers of salmon and steelhead return again to Mokelumne River; Dry farming; Scientists explore connection between phosphorus and river water quality; Interior wordsmiths ‘habitat’ with eye on regulatory reach; Science under attack: how Trump is sidelining researchers and their work; Newsom is being played by Big Ag on Delta water, says the San Jose Mercury News; and more …
In the news this weekend …
Also on Maven’s Notebook this weekend …
- NOTICE: Updated groundwater protection area maps and website
- NOTICE: Sampling for pesticide residues in California well water – 2018 update
- NOTICE: 2018 Annual compliance report for public water systems published
- NOTICE: PFAS Technical Seminar Video Recordings, Agenda, Speaker Abstracts and Biographies, Presentations, and Survey
Los Angeles may store water under an Owens Valley lake drained to fill its faucets: “Quick shifts in climate have prompted Los Angeles to consider an unlikely place to bank some of its Sierra Nevada snowmelt: beneath dry Owens Lake, which the city drained starting in 1913 to fill the L.A. Aqueduct and supply a thirsty metropolis. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has launched studies of ambitious plans to store water in the lake’s underground aquifer so that it could be pumped up in summer months and drought years to create pools of water to limit the dust sweeping across the vast lakebed’s salt flats. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Los Angeles may store water under an Owens Valley lake drained to fill its faucets
Good numbers of salmon and steelhead return again to Mokelumne River: “Large numbers of fall-run Chinook salmon have returned to the Mokelumne River in Clements, California, this fall despite challenging salmon fishing on the Mokelumne and adjacent sloughs this season. A total of over 12,658 salmon have gone over Woodbridge Dam in Lodi on the Mokelumne as of December 10, according to Will Smith, manager of the CDFW’s Mokelumne River Fish Hatchery. “We’re seeing a good, above normal season, although anglers have reported slow fishing in the river,” Smith said. “We will probably see just over 13,000 fish this fall.” … ” Read more from the Daily Kos here: Good Numbers of Salmon and Steelhead Return Again to Mokelumne River
Dry farming: “Dry farming is not to be confused with rainfed agriculture. Rainfed agriculture refers to crop production that occurs during a rainy season. Dry farming, on the other hand, refers to crop production during a dry season, utilizing the residual moisture in the soil from the rainy season, usually in a region that receives 20” or more of annual rainfall. Dry farming works to conserve soil moisture during long dry periods primarily through a system of tillage, surface protection, and the use of drought-resistant varieties. Dry farming has a very long history of use. … ” Read more from the Center for Ag Water Stewardship here: Dry farming
Interior wordsmiths ‘habitat’ with eye on regulatory reach: “The Interior Department is moving to formally define “habitat” in the Endangered Species Act, part of an anticipated second wave of changes to the bedrock conservation law under the Trump administration.According to a notice published Monday by the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, the addition to the ESA is undergoing interagency review. Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service and the Commerce Department’s NOAA Fisheries are overseeing the proposed revisions. … ” Read more from E&E News here: Interior wordsmiths ‘habitat’ with eye on regulatory reach
Science under attack: how Trump is sidelining researchers and their work: “In just three years, the Trump administration has diminished the role of science in federal policymaking while halting or disrupting research projects nationwide, marking a transformation of the federal government whose effects, experts say, could reverberate for years. … ” Read more from the New York Times here: Science under attack: how Trump is sidelining researchers and their work
Scientists explore connection between phosphorus and river water quality: “Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for plants and animals. However, excessive phosphorus in surface water can cause explosive growth of aquatic plants and algae. This can lead to a variety of water-quality problems, including low dissolved oxygen concentrations, which can cause fish kills and harm other aquatic life. … ” Read more from Lake County News here: Scientists explore connection between phosphorus and river water quality
In commentary this weekend …
Newsom is being played by Big Ag on Delta water, says the San Jose Mercury News: They write, “He won’t admit it, but Gavin Newsom is being played by Big Ag interests as he tries fruitlessly to negotiate a truce in California’s water wars. The governor’s apparent willingness to play into the hands of monied, agri-business players at the expense of the health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta remains the biggest mystery of his short tenure. It also threatens to trash his reputation as a strong protector of California’s environment. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Newsom is being played by Big Ag on Delta water, says the San Jose Mercury News
In regional news and commentary this weekend …
Yurok Tribe files suit against Reclamation: “The Yurok Tribe and Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Association is suing the Bureau of Reclamation and National Marine Fisheries Service in objection to the 2018 Biological Opinion, with their objections including insufficient flows in the Klamath River in May and June. The opinion was based on faulty data provided by consultant Thomas Hardy during the writing of the 2018 Biological Opinion. … ” Read more from KPVI here: Yurok Tribe files suit against Reclamation
Siskiyou County: Ranching family looks to past for future conservation: “Through the years, the Hart family has balanced wildlife and habitat enhancement with their ranching activities. This is reflected in their business motto of building a property stewardship program that encompasses wildlife habitat conservation and management techniques while raising superior quality beef through humane and sustainable processes. … ” Read more from the Siskiyou Daily News here: Ranching family looks to past for future conservation
River Islands partners with non-profit to take pressure off SJ River: “A 165-year-old British development firm started as an international shipping concern employing clipper ships is on the verge of doing something the State of California has failed to do for the better part of 50 years — reduce the chance of flooding along the San Joaquin River between its confluence with the Stanislaus River and where the Old River splits away. Somerston’s Holding’s subsidiary — Cambay Group — that is developing the 11,000-home River Islands at Lathrop planned community is working with the non-profit River Partners to acquire a large swath of land needed to widen the Paradise Cut. … ” Read more from the Manteca Bulletin here: River Islands partners with non-profit to take pressure off SJ River
As groundwater basins ‘rest,’ Santa Barbara looks to reservoirs for future water supplies: “This winter has started out as a wet one, but even if the rain tapers off, Santa Barbara can meet the water demands of its customers through 2022 with existing supplies, according to city staff. It’s been more than eight years since Lake Cachuma filled up and spilled, and groundwater basins all over Santa Barbara County are at historically low levels after being heavily pumped during the long drought. Groundwater well pumps are off to help basins “rest,” and it will take an estimated five years for the basins to recover from the drought, water supply analyst Dakota Corey told the city’s Water Commission at Thursday’s meeting. ... ” Read more from Noozhawk here: As groundwater basins ‘rest,’ Santa Barbara looks to reservoirs for future water supplies
Precipitation watch …
Also on Maven’s Notebook this weekend …
- NOTICE: Updated groundwater protection area maps and website
- NOTICE: Sampling for pesticide residues in California well water – 2018 update
- NOTICE: 2018 Annual compliance report for public water systems published
- NOTICE: PFAS Technical Seminar Video Recordings, Agenda, Speaker Abstracts and Biographies, Presentations, and Survey
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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.
Maven’s Notebook
where California water news never goes home for the weekend
