- WEBINAR: California-Nevada Drought & Climate Outlook from 11am to 12pm. Click here to register.
PG&E pleads guilty to criminal charges in fatal 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County: “PG&E on Monday disclosed it has pleaded guilty to scores of criminal charges arising from the deadly Camp Fire of 2018 that roared through Butte County, an inferno caused by the disgraced utility. The company’s admission of guilt for 84 involuntary manslaughter charges shoves PG&E into the grim pantheon of the deadliest corporations in American history. Under the agreement that PG&E reached with the state of California and the Butte County District Attorney’s Office, PG&E admitted its guilt in the Camp Fire, which caused 85 fatalities, according to a regulatory filing by PG&E with the Securities and Exchange Commission. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: PG&E pleads guilty to criminal charges in fatal 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County
SEE ALSO: PG&E to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter, fire-starting in Camp Fire, from the San Francisco Chronicle
California now requires storm water permits for certain business licenses: Here’s what you need to know: “In the 1990s the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identified storm water runoff from industrial land use properties as a source of pollution in surface water, including rivers, creeks, and lakes. In most urban settings, storm water runoff is conveyed through a storm drain system that is connected directly to surface water. Storm water is most commonly not treated prior to entering a storm drain and surface water, so any pollution in the runoff has the potential to end up in our water supply. This includes water that provides uses such as drinking water, recreation, and aquatic habitat. … ” Read more from the North Bay Business Journal here: California now requires storm water permits for certain business licenses
Humboldt County: Fish farmers advance aquaculture design: “The Nordic Aquafarms company has advanced its plans to build a major aquaculture facility on Humboldt Bay and has released designs of its proposed project. The company’s managers have also said that the preferred species to be raised at this point is Atlantic salmon, which concerns the fishing industry locally and coastwide. The Norway-based Nordic Aquafarms unveiled its project design and answered questions at a March 10 forum at Eureka’s Wharfinger Building. About 25 people were there. … ” Read more from the Mad River Union here: Fish farmers advance aquaculture design
Solano County: Culvert, weir work ‘plan’ moves ahead to help stop Green Valley Creek flooding: “The county and the Solano County Water Agency are considering a $50,000 first fix to help with Green Valley Creek flooding. “We have a concept project,” Roland Sanford, general manager of Solano County Water Agency, said Friday in a phone interview. The proposals – as suggested by a geomorphologist, a specialist on river and stream flow changes – is to extend culverts farther into the creek to help prevent clogging, and to develop rock weirs upstream from culverts, which would help ease erosion. … ” Read more from the Daily Republic here: Solano County: Culvert, weir work ‘plan’ moves ahead to help stop Green Valley Creek flooding
Cow power plays a part in California dairies’ planet-smart practices: Charles “Chuck” Ahlem and Lyle Schlyer write, “Dairy farm families and cows have long been part of the San Joaquin Valley. Farms, families, cows, and rural residents continue to co-exist and depend on each other for valuable jobs, nutritious food production, and a lifestyle that local residents cherish. Dairy farmers work overtime to ensure environmental protection and remain committed to their communities. California dairies are more heavily regulated for environmental performance than those operating elsewhere. They pay higher wages than other parts of the country. And they continually strive to be good neighbors and good stewards of the land. Unfortunately, their efforts and contributions are sometimes overlooked. Make no mistake, California’s dairy families remain dedicated to planet-smart dairy farming. … ” Read more from the Modesto Bee here: Cow power plays a part in California dairies’ planet-smart practices
Can Long Beach achieve climate resiliency as sea levels rise? ” … Like many cities along the Pacific Coast, climate change poses a serious, some say existential, threat to residents here—both from the impacts of sea level rise to low-lying neighborhoods like Naples, as well as from extreme heat. Long Beach—a port city of nearly 500,000, where the serpentine Los Angeles River bottoms out into the sea—is not as large as its sprawling neighbor L.A., just a 25-mile drive up the 710 freeway, but large enough to represent a test case for how coastal cities throughout California and around the country manage and mitigate the impacts of climate change. … ” Read more from Sierra Magazine here: Can Long Beach achieve climate resiliency as sea levels rise?
Yucaipa submits proposed grant application for Wildwood Creek Basin: “On March 9 at the Yucaipa City Council meeting, City Engineer Fermin Preciado talked about a $2.5 million for the construction of the Upper Wildwood Creek Basin project through the Proposition 68 Urban Flood Protection Grant Program. The city would need to allocate $121,000 in matching funds from the “Matching Funds for State/Federal Grant” account in order to meet the required local match requirement of 25% for the grant application. ... ” Read more from the the News-Mirror here: Yucaipa submits proposed grant application for Wildwood Creek Basin
11 rivers facing a danger of drying up in America: “From the mighty Colorado River to the Gasconade River, here are some of the rivers in the United States that are suffering from high-demand, rising temperatures, and reduced rainfall. For these and a myriad of other issues, these rivers are facing a very real danger of drying up in the future. … ” (Note: Sacramento River drying up? eh, perhaps an overstatement … ) Read more from Interesting Engineering here: 11 rivers facing a danger of drying up in America
World Water Day: Often overlooked, water resources are essential part of solution to climate change: “On World Water Day, the United Nations launched a flagship report which says that reducing both the impacts and drivers of climate change will require major shifts in the way we use and reuse the Earth’s limited water resources. The new global report calls, among others, for concrete efforts to address rising water stress and improve the efficiency of water use in agriculture and industry, and it outlines actions in three areas: first, enabling people to adapt to the impacts of climate change; second, improving the resilience of livelihoods; and, third, reducing the drivers of climate change. … ” Read more from the United Nations here: World Water Day: Often overlooked, water resources are essential part of solution to climate change
This Week in Water podcast: Seabed mining could threaten a source for a possible coronavirus vaccine. A new species discovered in the deepest part of the ocean was named after the plastic found inside it. In the midst of the current health crisis, officials all over the world are pleading with the public not to flush wipes. Pro Tip: When snacking on sugary foods during the health crisis, drink more water. Reindeers to the rescue!” Listen to podcast or read articles from H2oRadio here: This Week in Water podcast
DAILY DIGEST, weekend edition: Active pattern to bring rain and snow to the West into the week ahead; Garamendi urges DWR to consider western route for delta conveyance; CDFW’s salmon evacuation decision pays exceptional dividends; and more …
WATER INNOVATIONS: Driving towards resource recovery and resiliency
Image credit: CA streamflow assessment map, courtesy of Belize Lane. From this paper: Lane, B. A., Dahlke, H. E., Pasternack, G. B., & Sandoval‐Solis, S. (2017). Revealing the diversity of natural hydrologic regimes in California with relevance for environmental flows applications. JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 53(2), 411-430.
