- The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Board will meet beginning at 1pm. Agenda items include an informational item on Oil Field Food Safety Expert Panel Project Update and the Executive Officer’s Report. Click here for the full agenda and webcast instructions.
- Delta Conveyance Design and Construction Authority, Board of Directors will meet from 2pm to 5:30pm. For more information, click here.
California says it will fill gaps in lax EPA enforcement: “California’s top environmental agency said it would “fill any enforcement gaps” left by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision last month to relax oversight in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) said in a statement Wednesday it would also continue to respond to, investigate, and act on violation complaints during the crisis. ... ” Read more from Bloomberg here: California says it will fill gaps in lax EPA enforcement
SEE ALSO: CalEPA Issues Statement on Compliance with Regulatory Requirements During the COVID-19 Emergency, press release from Cal EPA
Column: For California’s water, a tale of two letters: Wayne Western writes, “Two weeks after the State of California rolled out its plan that spells the end of coordinated distribution of the state’s water resources from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California Democrats in Congress have finally spoken out, sort of. Two letters – issued by U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and Reps. Jim Costa (D–Fresno), John Garamendi (D–Walnut Grove), Josh Harder (D–Turlock), and TJ Cox (D–Fresno) – were dispatched on Wednesday. … ” Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun here: Column: For California’s water, a tale of two letters
California allows some freshwater fishing bans over virus: “California regulators on Wednesday voted to allow temporary limits on freshwater fishing in some rural communities where local officials are concerned out-of-towners could spread the coronavirus to residents. The unanimous vote by the Fish and Game Commission grants emergency authority to the director of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to postpone the spring trout season at the request of a few counties. Opening day is celebrated among anglers as “fishmas” and draws thousands of people to the eastern Sierra. This year it’s set for April 25. ... ” Read more from KCRA here: California allows some freshwater fishing bans over virus
SEE ALSO:
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- California Fish and Game Commission meets remotely, allows CDFW to temporarily delay, restrict or suspend fisheries where needed to prevent the spread of coronavirus, press release from the Department of Fish and Wildlife
- CDFW given authority to selectively restrict sportfishing in some regions during COVID19 pandemic, from Dan Bacher at the Daily Kos
Feds declare ‘Shasta critical’ year for California irrigation water deliveries: “Though winter rains were able to push Shasta Lake to 82 percent of capacity by early April, federal water managers declared a “Shasta critical year,” paving the way for reduced water deliveries to senior water rights holders, who generally receive full water allocations each year under state water law. A Shasta critical year is declared when the forecasted inflow to Shasta Lake, the cornerstone reservoir in the federal Central Valley Project (CVP), is at or below 3.2 million acre-feet. Storage in the reservoir as of mid-April was just over 3.7 million acre-feet. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press here: Feds declare ‘Shasta critical’ year for California irrigation water deliveries
Congressman LaMalfa asks Trump to support farmers: “Congressman Doug LaMalfa, republican of Richvale, issued the following statement after sending a letter to President Donald Trump asking that he use his emergency powers to maximize water allocations to farmers and ranchers in the Klamath Basin, Sacramento Valley, and San Joaquin Valley. LaMalfa reiterates the importance of a domestically grown food supply is part of national security. In order to alleviate temporary shortages due to hoarding and panic buying, limits on imports from foreign countries trying to feed their own citizens, and interruptions on farmers’ ability to use their acreage, maximizing water allocations to our farmers in the West will ensure the stability of our food supply chain during the coronavirus pandemic, he adds. … ” Read more from the Appeal-Democrat here: Congressman LaMalfa asks Trump to support farmers
Almond board wants more efficient irrigation: “Jossett Lewis has Chief Scientific Officer with the Almond Board of California. And this is a big goal of the Almond Board more efficiency in water use for almonds. “We’re tackling this from two directions. One is to improve irrigation efficiency and to get more crop per drop,” said Lewis. “So our goal of decreasing the amount of water by 20% needed to grow a pound of almonds is our Orchard 2025 goal in this area. And we’ll focus attention on how to improve the efficiency of operating irrigation systems. We’ve had really great adoption already of high efficiency systems like micro sprinklers and drip,” she said. ... ” Read more from California Ag Today here: Almond board wants more efficient irrigation
Droughts exposed California’s thirst for groundwater. Now, the state hopes to refill its aquifers: “California’s Central Valley—one of the richest agricultural regions in the world—is sinking. During a recent intense drought, from 2012 to 2016, parts of the valley sank as much as 60 centimeters per year. “It isn’t like an earthquake; it doesn’t happen, boom,” says Claudia Faunt, a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. But it is evidence of a slow-motion disaster, the result of the region’s insatiable thirst for groundwater. … ” Read more from Science Magazine here: Droughts exposed California’s thirst for groundwater. Now, the state hopes to refill its aquifers
Another dose of late-season rain on the horizon for California: “Showery weather will return to portions of California at the end of the week as yet another late-season storm rolls ashore. April is typically a month that turns drier across the state as the frequency of storms lessens, but that has not been the case thus far this month. Downtown Los Angeles has received 3.02 inches of rainfall as of April 15. This is 3.3 times their normal precipitation for the entire month of 0.91 of an inch. If the city’s rainfall were to climb above 3.77 inches by the end of the month, April 2020 would become the fifth wettest April on record. … ” Read more from AccuWeather here: Another dose of late-season rain on the horizon for California
DWR research vessel helps monitor climate change in Delta: “This April marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and to commemorate its theme of “climate action” the Department of Water Resources (DWR) is highlighting an important tool used for detecting the impacts of climate change in California’s Delta region; its research vessel, the Sentinel. The flagship of DWR’s Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP), the Sentinel is used as a floating laboratory that monitors water quality and ecosystem biology in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Estuaries. … ” Read more from DWR News here: DWR research vessel helps monitor climate change in Delta
What happens when other disasters hit during a pandemic? “The routines of tornado season are familiar ones across the Southeast: Residents keep weather radios close by, schools run tornado drills, and towns test sirens. But the deadly storms that swept through the region over Easter Sunday came amid a pandemic that has touched virtually every corner of the U.S., complicating disaster preparation and response. To maintain social distancing, officials in some locations decided against opening community shelters at all, while those in Louisiana’s Ouachita Parish, where several hundred homes were damaged, worked to house displaced people in hotels instead of shelters. ... ” Read more from Scientific American here: What happens when other disasters hit during a pandemic?
States go their own ways on environmental enforcement during crisis: “Some state environmental regulators have decided not to follow the Trump administration’s lead in easing enforcement of environmental rules for companies adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Like the EPA, most states appear to be providing some level of enforcement discretion, but the degree of such forbearance varies. ... ” Read more from Roll Call here: States go their own ways on environmental enforcement during crisis
Analysis: Drinking water revenue decline could mean $32.7 billion in losses: “Water industry associations on Wednesday offered a stark analysis of the continued impact of the coronavirus pandemic on U.S. water utilities. According to an analysis prepared by Raftelis for the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), revenue shortfalls at U.S. drinking water utilities may reduce economic activity by $32.7 billion and cost 75,000 to 90,000 private sector jobs. … “ Read more from Water Finance & Management here: Analysis: Drinking water revenue decline could mean $32.7 billion in losses
More Members of Congress Support Water Aid: “The number of supporters in Congress for utility assistance in the next Covid-19 package continues to grow. One hundred ten Democratic members of the House and Senate sent a letter today to congressional leaders, requesting financial aid to utilities and the people they serve during the coronavirus pandemic. … ” Read more from Circle of Blue here: More Members of Congress Support Water Aid
The Economics of Water Main Failures: “Most municipalities that have been maintaining aging infrastructure for decades simply absorb the effort and costs required to repair water main pipeline breaks when they occur. Seldom do many municipalities make the efforts required to track the costs and evaluate the cost benefit of proactively rehabilitating the existing pipe line versus continuing to repair emergency breaks. The overall costs of the emergency breaks on larger diameter pipeline systems can grow exponentially. … ” Read more from Water Finance & Management here: The Economics of Water Main Failures
California water policies inhibit food production by Valley farmers, says William Bourdeau, executive vice president of Harris Farms and director of the Westlands Water District: “Over the past several weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic has created images Americans never expected to see in this country: Empty supermarket shelves and people lined up outside of markets waiting to enter to purchase food. While the food supply chain in this country is strong, and American farmers certainly have the capacity to feed the people in the United States and around the world, anxiety created by uncertainty led to panic buying by consumers. ... ” Read more from Cal Matters here: California water policies inhibit food production by Valley farmers
How the laws that Earth Day inspired have benefited us all: Richard Conniff writes, “On the perpetual campaign trail, Donald Trump likes to brag that his regulatory rollbacks will save Americans from having to depend on the latest energy-saving light bulbs. (“To me, most importantly, the light’s no good. I always look orange.”) He promises to get rid of water-efficiency standards because toilets require too much flushing. (“Ten times, right?… Not me. But you. Him.”) The aim is to find a homey way to put across the message that regulations — especially environmental regulations — inconvenience the average American. They hurt the economy. They cost jobs. But of course, these regulations almost always have corresponding benefits: They create jobs, they save human lives. They make life better and healthier for the tens of millions of Americans living downstream from polluting industries that were once unregulated. ... ” Continue reading at Yale E360 here: How the laws that Earth Day inspired have benefited us all
Expanding Pacheco Reservoir would help provide emergency supply of safe, clean drinking water, says Valley Water: They write, “On the heels of one of the driest Februarys on record, Valley Water remains focused on preparing for future wet and dry years to ensure Santa Clara County’s two million residents have a reliable supply of safe, clean drinking water. Valley Water is working to meet this challenge through a variety of efforts, including the proposed expansion of Pacheco Reservoir in Southern Santa Clara County. This partnership with the San Benito County Water District and Pacheco Pass Water District will increase the reservoir’s capacity from 5,500 to up to 140,000 acre-feet, enough water to supply up to 1.4 million residents for a year. ... ” Read more from Valley Water News here: Expanding Pacheco Reservoir would help provide emergency supply of safe, clean drinking water
Ridgecrest: Indian Wells Valley Water District board hears updated water solution alternatives: “The IWV Water District updated its presentation regarding alternative water sources to it has explored over the years during a virtual board meeting Monday night. The meeting, held via a Webex meeting app, was full of first-time glitches, including a lot of feedback from microphones and speakers, delays in speakers presenting and difficulty registering verbal public comment. Consulting engineer Chuck Krieger went over some of the basic alternatives the water district had considered in the past, including the ideas of acquiring and following agricultural land in the basin, recycled water alternatives, and Searles Valley Mineral’s ability to become self-reliant. … ” Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent here: Ridgecrest: Indian Wells Valley Water District board hears updated water solution alternatives
Santa Barbara: Gibraltar reservoir spills after strong Spring rains: “What is normally the tail end of the rainy season has become a time of some ninth inning surprises in Santa Barbara County. The last two storms have had just enough energy to drop several inches of rain in the right spot, above the Cachuma Lake and Gibraltar Reservoir watershed. That runoff has filled Gibraltar and it is spilling from the gates heading to the lower Santa Ynez River. ... ” Read more from KEYT here: Gibraltar reservoir spills after strong Spring rains
Orange County’s water importer backs off proposals after widespread opposition: “Facing objections from water districts throughout Orange County, the agency that sells imported water to those districts has backed off — at least temporarily — on two proposals that critics said overstepped its mission and the appropriate bounds of its authority. The Municipal Water District of Orange County, the county’s wholesaler for water from the northern California and Colorado River, considered items at its board meeting Wednesday, April 15, that addressed the scope of its work and authorized a $345,000 study that could have led to a collaboration on the proposed Doheny desalination plant being pursued by the South Coast Water District. But after 22 of the 28 districts that buy its imported water objected to those proposals, the Municipal Water District’s board of directors unanimously agreed to postpone a final vote to allow for further consideration and possible changes to the measures. … ” Read more from the OC Register here: Orange County’s water importer backs off proposals after widespread opposition
Ramona Municipal Water District implements plan to dissolve some untreated water delivery: “In an effort to save costs and reduce the impacts of declining untreated water sales, the Ramona Municipal Water District (RMWD) recently approved of implementing a three-phase strategy for converting from an untreated water system to treated, and in some cases, recycled water systems. Customers throughout the district are expected to benefit from savings related to reducing operational and maintenance costs associated with an untreated system. The impact to RMWD’s untreated water customers, however, will be a cancellation in untreated water service in the Woodson Pressure Zone after July 1, 2021. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune here: Ramona Municipal Water District implements plan to dissolve some untreated water delivery
Environmental groups persuade San Diego to consider marshland-heavy approach in Mission Bay: “San Diego-area environmentalists concerned about sea level rise and climate change have persuaded city officials to consider adding more than 200 acres of marshland to the northeast corner of Mission Bay. In response to aggressive lobbying this winter by environmentalists, San Diego planning officials have decided to add a marshland-heavy option to the proposals they’ve been studying since 2018 for revamping the bay’s northeast corner. But planning officials say they haven’t committed to the same level of detailed analysis requested by environmentalists, and they also must still secured funding needed to complete the study. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune here: Environmental groups persuade San Diego to consider marshland-heavy approach in Mission Bay
Tijuana: Huge border sewage spills underscore need to keep solution moving forward, says Michael Smolens: He writes, “When it rains in Tijuana, it pours sewage. That’s been the reality for decades and recent storms hit the border area hard. It’s a reminder that while energy and attention have been focused on trying to rein in the coronavirus pandemic, other big problems remain. Last week’s rain was particularly heavy, but cross-border sewage spills into south San Diego County have been occurring consistently since November, in large part because of Tijuana’s balky infrastructure. ... ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune here: Huge border sewage spills underscore need to keep solution moving forward
NASA Snow Water Equivalent Report for April 14: The regional summary map (first figure in the report) shows the mean SWE above 5000’ elevation for three major regions of the Sierra Nevada. As of April 14th regional average SWE remains below average across the Sierra, with percent of average SWE highest in the central (85%) and south (82%) and lowest in the north (64%).
20200414_RT_SWE_Report
WESTERN GROUNDWATER CONGRESS: Utilizing excess winter stormwater flows for groundwater recharge
SCIENCE NEWS: Updates from the State of the San Lorenzo Symposium; DWR research vessel helps monitor climate change in Delta; How a team of scientists studying drought helped build the world’s leading famine prediction model; To bugs in streams, fine sediment is not so fine; and more …
WATER PLAN eNEWS: ~~Vulnerable Communities~ Stream Grants~ SGMA Grants~ Watershed University~ CII Irrigation~ U.N. Report ~~
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.
