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Recent winter weather pattern is concerning in parts of the lower 48: “The weather pattern that has dominated the Lower 48 since the start of 2020 is beginning to increase concerns of drought, flooding, lack of ice and early spring blossoms. Below we take a closer look at why concerns will grow if this pattern persists. The track of the jet stream has kept parts of the Southwest drier than average since the start of the year. The jet stream has focused the storm track farther north into the Pacific Northwest and Canada, generally missing California. … ” Read more from The Weather Channel here: 🔓 Recent winter weather pattern is concerning in parts of the lower 48
California is experiencing an abnormally dry winter, but there still could be hope: “There hasn’t been as much rain this winter as San Luis Obispo County has seen in previous years, but there still could be hope. Park rangers at Lopez Lake said that despite nearly 40% of California experiencing abnormally dry levels, the lake has not seen a decline in visitors. “This time of year February we were at least in the twelve inch mark of rain, now this February we’ve only reached about not even I think nine inches,” said Coby Whitaker, a park ranger at Lopez Lake. … ” Read more from KSBY here: 🔓 California is experiencing an abnormally dry winter, but there still could be hope
3 years later: A look back at the Oroville Dam spillway crisis: “What started as a small hole on the Oroville Dam main spillway led to massive erosion and a potentially catastrophic event as more than 180,000 people were evacuated near Lake Oroville and downstream along the Feather River in February 2017. It’s been three years since that hole was first spotted. Take a look back at the controversy and troubles that followed the crisis surrounding the spillways and the Department of Water Resources. ... ” Read more from KCRA here: 🔓 3 years later: A look back at the Oroville Dam spillway crisis
State agencies propose voluntary water agreements: “California’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection agencies late Thursday shared a framework for potential voluntary agreements to improve river flows and habitat to help recover salmon and other native fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and its key watersheds. The framework outlines a 15-year program that would provide substantial new flows for the environment to help recover fish populations, create 60,000 acres of new and restored habitat, and generate more than $5 billion in new funding for environmental improvements and science. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press here: 🔓 State agencies propose voluntary water agreements
Ousted EPA Region 9 head lashes out over firing: “Ousted EPA Region 9 Administrator Mike Stoker declared last night that his firing was “100% personal” and that his bosses lied about their reasons for his sudden dismissal. Stoker admitted that he regularly clashed with EPA’s Washington leadership, namely Doug Benevento, the associate deputy administrator. EPA rejected those claims, saying Stoker showed “severe neglect” for his basic responsibilities as regional administrator. Stoker said in an interview with E&E News that when Benevento and outgoing Chief of Staff Ryan Jackson called his Santa Barbara, Calif., home to fire him at 8 a.m. Wednesday morning, they declined to give him a reason. He said he remains “in the dark.” … ” Read more from E&E News here: 🔓 Ousted Region 9 head lashes out over firing
Water utilities, climate change, bond ratings and insurance: Connections and implications: “The managers of two large utilities recently remarked to me that in recent discussions with bond rating agencies, the questions that arose about climate change dove much deeper than in recent memory. In both cases, rating agencies wanted to know specifically about what climate related risks the utilities were considering in their planning as well as what they were doing to manage those risks. The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) has been tracking and reporting to its members about the interest of insurance companies and bond rating agencies in climate change and extreme events and has indeed observed that this interest has been steadily growing for the past several years. ... ” Read more from Water Finance and Management here: 🔓 Water utilities, climate change, bond ratings and insurance: Connections and implications
Vital implications on water scarcity according to 14 experts: “With factors as precarious as climate, failing infrastructure, increased global population, pollution, and excessive groundwater pumping, it is no wonder that the concern for water scarcity has garnered the attention of authorities across many agencies and sectors. And while those in developed countries might not experience the effects of the water crisis as imminently as those in more water-stressed regions of the world, the reality of water scarcity is ultimately a global concern and should certainly be treated as such. … ” Read more from Resilience.org here: 🔓 Vital implications on water scarcity according to 14 experts
Dan Walters: Has Newsom settled the water wars? He writes, “The beating heart of California’s massive system of capturing, storing and distributing water is the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Water flows into the West’s largest estuary from the Sacramento, San Joaquin and several lesser rivers that drain the state’s mountain chains on its northern and eastern edges. While most of the water continues into the Pacific Ocean, giant pumps on the southern edge of the Delta suck much of it into canals supplying San Joaquin Valley farms and Southern California cities as far south as San Diego. … ” Read more from Cal Matters here: 🔓 Dan Walters: Has Newsom settled the water wars?
California’s water status quo isn’t working, says State Senator Harry Stern: He writes, “Re: “Gov. Newsom: California must get past differences on water. Voluntary agreements are the path forward,” Gov. Gavin Newsom, Feb. 4, 2020. Our water status quo isn’t working. We’ve accepted a false choice that pits our environment against our farmers – and ultimately, it’s a false choice that serves to flood our courts with lawsuits more than it serves our economy, our ecosystems or our agricultural sector. The true choice isn’t between fish and farmers. It’s between a failed status quo and the pursuit of a just peace. … ” Read more at Cal Matters here: 🔓 California’s water status quo isn’t working
Desalination is a bad investment, says Bruce Reznik, Los Angeles Waterkeeper executive director: He writes, “Re: “Why desalination can help quench California’s water needs,” By Wendy Ridderbusch, Jan. 29, 2020. Wendy Ridderbusch shouldn’t confuse diversifying one’s portfolio, a good thing, with making bad investments. Those are not the same thing. Investing hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars in the most expensive, climate impacting and environmentally destructive local water supply option when superior alternatives exist falls into the bad investment category. … ” Read more at Cal Matters here: 🔓 Desalination is a bad investment
Women in Water Series: Gloria Gray: “An early commitment to hard work and community service set Gloria Gray’s path to leadership. Growing up the daughter of a Houston steelworker who relocated to a working-class suburb of Los Angeles, she learned the value of hard work first hand. Her parents were like many; sacrificing to provide for her siblings and her. They made sure they had character, fortitude, respect for others and integrity — values that Gray says have helped her throughout her life and career. … ” Continue reading at California Water News Daily here: 🔓 Women in Water Series: Gloria Gray
Newsha Ajami solves the water equation with public participation: “As a little girl in Iran, Stanford water researcher Newsha Ajami always knew she could achieve whatever she wanted. “I was raised as a gender-blind child,” she recalled. “I was taught that I could beat anybody at anything.” Her love of math, boundless curiosity, and passion to make a difference have taken her far beyond what she ever imagined while growing up. Today, Ajami lives in the Bay Area and is dedicated to safeguarding our water. Her roles include directing the Urban Water Policy team at Stanford’s Water in the West program and serving on the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. But she began her career in civil engineering at Tehran Polytechnic in 1993, where most of her studies were on the structural side. “I got into the world of water quite accidentally,” she said. “I was looking for an internship and got one focusing on reservoir management.” She’s been hooked on the ins and outs of delivering water to people ever since. ... ” Read more from the Bay Area Monitor here: 🔓 Newsha Ajami solves the water equation with public participation
Alexis S. Hacker, 63, of Piedmont, has been appointed to the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. Hacker held several positions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 1979 to 2019, including acting regional administrator, deputy regional administrator, director for regional water division, branch chief, branch manager and environmental protection specialist. She earned a Master of Arts degree in urban planning from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $250 per diem. Hacker is registered without party preference. (Sourced from Governor’s press release)
Andrew Gunther, 63, of Oakland, has been appointed to the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. Gunther has been a consulting scientist to local government and non-profits since 2017. Gunther was executive director at the Center for Ecosystem Management and Restoration from 2000 to 2017 and vice president at Applied Marine Sciences from 1991 to 2000. He is a board member of the Union of Concerned Scientists. Gunther earned Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Science degrees in energy and resources from the University of California, Berkeley. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $250 per diem. Gunther is a Democrat. (Sourced from Governor’s press release)
Michela Alioto-Pier, 51, of San Francisco, has been appointed to the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. Alioto-Pier has been owner of Alioto-Pier Vineyards since 1995. She was a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 2004 to 2011 and of the San Francisco Port Commission from 2003 to 2004. She served as deputy domestic policy advisor to Vice President Al Gore from 1993 to 1995. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Alioto-Pier is a Democrat. (Sourced from Governor’s press release)
Jose Martinez appointed General Manager of the Otay Water District: “The Otay Water District Board of Directors February 6 voted unanimously to appoint Assistant Chief of Water Operations Jose Martinez as the new general manager of the District. The Board announced they will negotiate contract terms and vote on those terms at the March 11 Board meeting. “Jose will be an asset to the District for many reasons,” said Board President Gary Croucher. “His experience as a nuclear engineer for the U.S. Navy and managing water utility and operations at the District, combined with his leadership on legislative bill AB 1588, will contribute to guiding and leading the District on its already strong path of providing exceptional service to our customers; he will also bring new and innovative ideas to continue enhancing operational practices.” … ” Read more from the Water News Network here: 🔓 Jose Martinez appointed General Manager of the Otay Water District
An Ecologist Organizes the World: Jane Lubchenco helped change the field of ecology by making the science useful to society: “Back in the mid-1970s, before Jane Lubchenco was a highly cited ecologist, she was climbing around the rocks of New England’s seashore, figuring out why different seaweeds lived in different intertidal zones. One seaweed, called Chondrus (or Irish moss, although it’s not a moss), always lives in the shore’s lower zones. Another one, called Fucus (or rockweed), always lives in zones higher up. Classical ecology would have told her those species were best suited to those locations. But Lubchenco decided to experiment, to remove Chondrus and see if Fucus stayed in its own zone. … ” Continue reading at Hakai Magazine here: 🔓 An Ecologist Organizes the World: Jane Lubchenco helped change the field of ecology by making the science useful to society
Wild and Scenic Yuba River: Jared Blumenfeld writes, “How a fight to save the Yuba River, turned into a massive film festival where activists go to get inspired. Podship Earth’s intrepid correspondent, Sara Aminzadeh, travels through the snow to meet with first time film-makers, long time water keepers, and local teenagers to get the skinny on how our love of nature is the best motivator for action. Sara talks with Melinda Booth, Mitch Dion, Tom Bartels, Chris Simon, John Weisheit, Susette Weisheit, and Tova Rothert.”
Giving a Bridge Its Purpose: Steve Baker writes, “I grew up along the edges of the Appalachian Mountains of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Bridges are everywhere and they seem to connect everything. The ridges and valleys created by past geologic events created challenges for people and commerce. Water, in Pittsburgh, is usually the central reason that the bridges have been constructed. Giving a bridge its purpose requires water beneath every bridge or, at least, reminisce of water. Water is a Many Splendor’ed Thing brings you another water relationship that has a personally significant impact to your life.” Produced by Steven Baker, Operation Unite® Bringing People Together to Solve Water Problems, Online at www.operationunite.co
Summer-run steelhead are ‘top athletes’ and ‘extraordinary’: “In football, you have diverse athletes from your typically tall and thin wide receivers to your stout and muscular offensive lineman. Similarly, in steelhead, you have a wide range of athletic diversity. “Steelhead are one of the most iconic fish species on the Pacific coast of the United States,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Damon Goodman, who works in the Arcata office. “One of the things they are most well-known for is their athleticism. They are the top athletes of all salmonids. They can leap up and over waterfalls and swim through extreme rapids to access their habitats.” … ” Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard here: Summer-run steelhead are ‘top athletes’ and ‘extraordinary’
Tuleyome Tales: A Blue Ribbon Committee for Clear Lake: “Clear Lake, the largest natural lake in California and the heart of Lake County, is far more than that: it is the oldest natural lake in North America, with 68 square miles of surface area and an average depth of 26 feet, among the world’s most productive freshwater ecosystems, and a regional, national and planetary treasure. … What makes Clear Lake unique are tectonic forces that have deepened its bed at approximately the same pace as sedimentation has accumulated: sediment cores show that a lake has existed continually at this location for at least 450,000 years and possibly as much as 2.5 million years. ... ” Read more from the Lake County Record-Bee here: Tuleyome Tales: A Blue Ribbon Committee for Clear Lake
State fines North Bay water agency over massive sewage spill: “State water regulators have issued a more than $400,000 fine against a Sonoma County water agency over the release of more than two million gallons of sewage last year. This week the California Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District agreed to the financial settlement over one of the district’s largest sewage spills in recent memory. … ” Read more from KQED here: 🔓 State fines North Bay water agency over massive sewage spill
Monterey County considers tax hike for aging dams, reservoirs: “A community workshop was held last Friday in Salinas to consider options in how to pay for Monterey County’s aging dams and reservoirs, which continue to provide water for drinking and agriculture to the Salinas Valley. Landowners, politicians, legal experts and concerned citizens packed the Agricultural Center Conference Room to weigh the benefits and pitch solutions to problems within the two main proposals, either a bond measure or a pay-as-you-go tax increase. After hours of presentations and discussion, the Jan. 31 meeting came to no definitive conclusion on which option would be best. … ” Read more from the Soledad Bee here: Monterey County considers tax hike for aging dams, reservoirs
CCAs, groundwater authority on IWVWD agenda: “The Indian Wells Valley Water District board of directors meets Monday, Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. at its district offices, 500 W. California Ave. Among the agenda items are expected presentations by Scott O’Neil on community choice aggregation and Chris Brown of Fedak and Brown, LLC on the district’s annual audit from the fiscal year 2018-2019. The topic of community choice aggregation, or an option to form a local electrical utility, came up during the board’s semi-annual workshop on Jan. 23. … ” Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent here: CCAs, groundwater authority on IWVWD agenda
EPA loans Coachella Valley Water District $59 million for stormwater control: “The Coachella Valley Water District and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday signed an agreement for a $59.1 million loan to finance improvements to the district’s 134-mile stormwater system that drains into the Salton Sea. CVWD has 35 years to pay back the money, made available through the federal Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, which began doling out low-interest loans in 2017. The funding will help pay for two projects in the valley — one to increase the canal’s capacity between Coachella and Thermal and another that will build 3.3 miles of channel near Shadow Hills. ... ” Read more from The Desert Sun here: EPA loans Coachella Valley Water District $59 million for stormwater control
San Diego: ‘Baking skills’ used for repair at Lake Hodges Pumped Storage Facility: “You might not think ‘baking skills’ would come in handy to fix a recent problem at the Lake Hodges Hydroelectric and Pump Station Facility. But those skills, along with initiative and ingenuity, were demonstrated by San Diego County Water Authority staff as part of the creative and complex repair. The facility connects the City of San Diego’s Hodges Reservoir with the Water Authority’s Olivenhain Reservoir. The connection provides the ability to store up to 20,000 acre-feet of water at Hodges for emergency use. The Lake Hodges Hydroelectric and Pump Station Facility moves water between Olivenhain and Hodges, and is able to generate up to 40 megawatts of energy on demand, helping to manage electrical demands throughout the County. It also generates revenue and helps offset energy costs. ... ” Read more from the Water News Network here: 🔓 ‘Baking skills’ used for repair at Lake Hodges Pumped Storage Facility
State officials ask EPA for action on cross-border pollution: “The State Lands Commission and State Controller pleaded with the Environmental Protection Agency in a letter Friday asking for immediate action to stop the flow of 50 million gallons per day of polluted water into the Tijuana River Valley. That polluted water flow has created significant and ongoing beach closures in Imperial Beach and Coronado. … ” Read more from KPIX here: 🔓 State officials ask EPA for action on cross-border pollution
Once grand: how climate change and invasive species are altering the Colorado River: “A warming climate has been linked to human activity around the world, and has affected the Colorado River System as well. The impacts are substantial, from reduced water flows, threats to indigenous species and the influx of new invasive species along the river system. The Colorado River System drains more than 244,000 square miles; about one-eighth of the United States. Over 40 million people rely upon its waters. Along its way to the Sea of Cortez, the Colorado and its tributaries pass through Dinosaur and Colorado national monuments, as well as Arches, Canyonlands, and Grand Canyon national parks, and the Glen Canyon and Lake Mead national recreation areas. … ” Read more from the National Parks Traveler here: 🔓 Once grand: how climate change and invasive species are altering the Colorado River
Water management fixes won’t come soon for Arizona, experts say: “Overhauling a state water program that allows new suburban developments to sprout on pumped groundwater will likely take years — if it ever happens. While concern is mounting about “unintended consequences” of the 1993 law that set this program up, the law’s complexity and its strong support from developers and homebuilders make it hard to change. The law allows pumping groundwater for new subdivisions whose developers lack access to renewable supplies such as Central Arizona Project water from the Colorado River. … ” Read more from Arizona Central here: Water management fixes won’t come soon for Arizona, experts say
- YOUR INPUT NEEDED: Bay-Delta Collaboration – Stakeholder Engagement
- SAVE THE DATE: Annual Water Supply and Demand Assessment Workshop (SB 606)
- NOTICE: Safe And Affordable Funding For Equity And Resilience (SAFER) Drinking Water Fund Advisory Group Meeting
- ANNOUNCEMENT: California Water Commission releases new Strategic Plan
