DAILY DIGEST: Young salmon defend themselves against climate change by eating more — but there’s a catch; Women in Water Series: Brenda Burman; Fires and flood cap off a decade of U.S. Disasters; and more …

In California water news today, Young salmon defend themselves against climate change by eating more — but there’s a catch; Women in Water Series: Brenda Burman; Fires and flood cap off a decade of U.S. Disasters; Who should pay for water conservation in the West? Water managers wade into discussion; and a little bit more …

In the news today …

Young salmon defend themselves against climate change by eating more — but there’s a catch:  “Over the next century, scientists say about 70 percent of California’s salmon and trout could disappear. But new research indicates that even with climate change, there’s a glimmer of hope for the species.  Key to the cold-water fish’s survival will be if the water doesn’t warm too much, and if their habitats stop vanishing, because baby salmon, or salmonids, usually need colder water to survive and grow. … ”  Read more from Capital Public Radio here: Young salmon defend themselves against climate change by eating more — but there’s a catch

Women in Water Series: Brenda Burman:  “Brenda Wren Burman, the 23rd Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, has more than 25 years of working on Western Water Issues and is the first female commissioner. Burman employs 5,500 people who are charged with the task of overseeing water resource management as it relates to water rerouting, water delivery and water storage projects that fall under its responsibility in 17 western states of the United States for water supply, irrigation and power generation. … ”  Read more from California Water News Daily here: Women in Water Series: Brenda Burman

It’s not just you—wild swings in extreme weather are rising:  “From 2011 to 2016, California experienced five years of extreme drought, during which numerous high temperature records were broken. These hot, dry years were followed by the extremely wet winter of 2016 -2017, when, from October to March, an average of 31 inches of rain fell across the state, the second highest winter rainfall on record. … These wild swings from one weather extreme to another are symptomatic of a phenomenon, variously known as “climate whiplash” or “weather whiplash,” that scientists say is likely to increase as the world warms…. ”  Read more from Wired here: It’s not just you—wild swings in extreme weather are rising

Fires and flood cap off a decade of U.S. Disasters:  “Natural disasters in 2019 were dominated by historic spring flooding that submerged large swaths of the nation, from Louisiana to North Dakota, and by a spate of 10 separate wildfires that broke out across California in October and November.  The events drew attention to two extremes of climate change: prolonged rainfall that flooded the Missouri and Mississippi rivers and prolonged drought that dried California’s forests and grasslands into a tinderbox.  The flooding and wildfires also highlighted how well — or poorly — the nation can withstand climate-driven extremes. … ”  Read more from Scientific American here: Fires and flood cap off a decade of U.S. Disasters

In regional news and commentary today …

Chico group helps keep city’s waterways clean:  “The Chico Community Watch group (non-partisan) found hundreds of batteries in the Lindo Channel.  “Our only agenda is that we want to see the waterways in Chico cleaner,” Rogers said.  A volunteer from the watch group named Shelly Rogers started picking up litter on her own in 2004.  “Somewhere around 2013 and 2014 the amount of litter just exploded the nice thing about that was I was able to meet people who want to do the same thing I do,” she said. … ”  Read more from Action News Now here: Chico group helps keep city’s waterways clean

Solano County: 2019 Top Stories: Cache Slough regs, groundwater planning roll into 2020:  “Nearly a million people were at times left in the dark as power was shut off in an effort to prevent the kind of deadly wildfires that raged through Paradise, Napa and Sonoma in recent years.  But legislative and utility reaction to wildfires was only one of three principal environmental issues that replaced the five-year drought at the top of the county’s environmental focus.  The others are the ongoing groundwater sustainability planning and Solano County’s efforts to add more regulatory teeth to and more flexibility in the ways it can address eco-restoration projects in the Cache Slough Complex. … ”  Read more from the Daily Republic here: Solano County: 2019 Top Stories: Cache Slough regs, groundwater planning roll into 2020

H2O Hackathon invites SJ students to tackle threats to Delta:  “Area college, middle school and high school students can now register for the Fifth Annual H2O Hackathon.  The event invites local students to team up to compete to solve the state’s water issues by tapping into their technological and problem-solving skills, according to a San Joaquin County Office of Education news release. … ”  Read more from the Stockton Record here: H2O Hackathon invites SJ students to tackle threats to Delta

Along the Colorado River …

Who should pay for water conservation in the West? Water managers wade into discussion:  “Water managers from throughout the Colorado River Basin took the stage at the Colorado River Water Users Association conference earlier this month to talk about conserving water in the face of the twin threats to the river: increasing demand and climate change.  The state of Colorado is currently exploring a water-use-reduction program that is largely designed to pay farmers and ranchers on the Western Slope to voluntarily conserve water. While there’s still debate whether such a program should be implemented, the first question many ask is how to pay for such a program. … ”  Read more from the Aspen Times here: Who should pay for water conservation in the West? Water managers wade into discussion

How two guys buried the hatchet and helped Arizona sign a historic drought plan:  The Arizona Republic writes,  “The Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan is nothing short of historic.  Not necessarily because it’s a good deal. The multi-state agreement, which was signed in May, is costly and doesn’t solve any of the problems that threaten the Colorado River, which supplies about 40% of Arizona’s water supply.  DCP is monumental because it proves that people with wildly different viewpoints can learn to work together and accomplish things that matter. Even now, despite how divided our country has become. … ”  Read moire from the Stockton Record here: How two guys buried the hatchet and helped Arizona sign a historic drought plan

Industrial farms invest in Arizona. They don’t pirate its water and resources, says Philip Bashaw:  He writes, ” … For the last several months, we have seen a steady stream of articles lauding business and economic growth in our great state. We celebrate families moving here, California businesses relocating here, and new factories opening and providing jobs across Arizona. … But in this article, companies who are coming to Arizona, investing in infrastructure, providing jobs and participating in the very international trade that creates wealth are portrayed not as engines of growth and progress, but as pirates coming to steal our natural resources. … ”  Read more from Arizona Republic here: Industrial farms invest in Arizona. They don’t pirate its water and resources

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

DAILY DIGEST, weekend edition: 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; Interior wordsmiths ‘habitat’ with eye on regulatory reach; and more …

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Today’s announcements …

• 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.