- FREE WEBINAR: Methods for Determining “At-Risk” Public Water Systems, Domestic Wells, and State Small Water Systems from 9am to 3pm. The State Water Resources Control Board will hold a staff-led public webinar to receive input from interested persons concerning the identification of public water systems and domestic wells “at-risk” of failing to provide safe drinking water. Click here to register.
Megadrought conditions not seen for 400+ years have returned to the west, scientists say: “For two decades, dry conditions have cooked the West to a crisp. The nearly uninterrupted string of below-average rain years has been punctuated by punishing temperatures that basically go in one direction: up. This warming, research suggests, is a key driver of California’s wildfires, and it now appears to have thrust the entire region into an extended long-term “megadrought” worse than any experienced in recorded history, according to an analysis of 1,200 years of tree ring records, a century of weather observations and dozens of climate models. … ” Read more from KQED here: Megadrought conditions not seen for 400+ years have returned to the west, scientists say
Historic ‘megadrought’ underway in California, American West, new study finds: “The American West is in the middle of a historic “megadrought” — an ongoing stretch of extended arid conditions not seen in centuries — according to a major new study released Thursday. In the nine Western states from California to Colorado, 2000 to 2018 ranks as second-driest 19-year period in the past 1,200 years, according to scientists at Columbia University who led the study published in the journal Science. ... ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Historic ‘megadrought’ underway in California, American West, new study finds
SEE ALSO:
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- California, rest of the West sinking into a rare mega-drought, scientists say, from the San Francisco Chronicle
- ‘Megadrought’ emerging in the western US might be worse than any in 1,200 years, from Arizona Central
- Among the ‘climate monsters’ that afflict California, Megadrought is the most reliable, from the LA Times
Northwest California drought grows, south benefits from rain: “Record-breaking April rains eliminated all drought and abnormal dryness from Southern California and up the Central Coast through Monterey County, but drought has worsened in northwestern California, the U.S. Drought Monitor said Thursday. Overall, just over 58% of the state was experiencing abnormal dryness or the first two stages of drought, down from more than 75% at the start of the month according to data collected up to April 14. But the designation of severe drought was expanded over much of northwest California up into Oregon, while the balance of northern and central California has moderate drought or abnormal dryness. … ” Read more from NBC Bay Area here: Northwest California drought grows, south benefits from rain
Delta: Division of Boating and Waterways begins control of aquatic invasive species: “California State Parks’ Division of Boating and Waterways on Thursday announced its plans to control aquatic invasive species (AIS) in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and its southern tributaries. Beginning April 20, the DBW will start herbicide treatments on floating aquatic vegetation such as water hyacinth and alligatorweed, and submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) such as Egeria densa and curlyleaf pondweed. Treatment start dates may change depending on weather conditions and plant growth or movement. ... ” Read more from the Napa Register here: Division of Boating and Waterways begins control of aquatic invasive species
Salmon seasons adopted for the California coast: “While the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a delay to the April season along the California coast, salmon anglers can look forward to robust seasons ahead. On April 10, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) recommended the following 2020 season dates for the state’s four management areas … ” Read more from the Department of Fish and Wildlife here: Salmon seasons adopted for the California coast
Testing for the coronavirus in sea spray near the U.S.-Mexico Border: “Is the new coronavirus blowing in the ocean breeze? The National Science Foundation awarded a $198,943 grant to Kimberly Prather at the University of California, San Diego, to investigate the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in sea spray due to the aerosolization of sewage. Here’s what that means. ... ” Read more from Circle of Blue here: Testing for the Coronavirus in Sea Spray near the U.S.-Mexico Border
Trump administration halts wildfire prevention tool in California over coronavirus: “The U.S. Forest Service has suspended controlled burns on public lands in wildfire-prone California because of the coronavirus pandemic, upsetting officials who see the program as key to preventing seasonal infernos like those that devastated parts of the state in 2018. The decision comes as forecasters predict yet another above-average year for wildfires in parts of the state because of dry conditions, and follows President Donald Trump’s repeated criticism of California’s own forest management work following the 2018 fires. … ” Read more from Reuters here: Trump administration halts wildfire prevention tool in California over coronavirus
Coronavirus is reducing CO2. Why that’s worrisome: “A growing number of prognosticators expect that global carbon dioxide emissions could fall 5% this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, amounting to the largest annual reduction on record. But climate researchers say there is little reason for celebration, for people or the planet. CO2 is a long-lived gas. An annual drop in emissions, even one of historic proportions, is unlikely to dramatically change the concentrations of carbon dioxide swirling around Earth’s atmosphere. Then there is the nature of the reductions. Few think draconian economic lockdowns, like those implemented to halt the virus’s spread, represent a viable decarbonization strategy. … ” Read more from E&E News here: Coronavirus is reducing CO2. Why that’s worrisome
US to have major floods on daily basis unless sea-level rise is curbed – study: “Flooding events that now occur in America once in a lifetime could become a daily occurrence along the vast majority of the US coastline if sea level rise is not curbed, according to a new study that warns the advancing tides will “radically redefine the coastline of the 21st century”. The research finds major cities such as Honolulu, New Orleans and Miami will become increasingly vulnerable to elevated high tides and stronger storms fueled by the global heating caused by human activity. Beach and cliff erosion will exacerbate this situation. ... ” Read more from The Guardian here: US to have major floods on daily basis unless sea-level rise is curbed – study
Green groups sue after EPA suspends enforcement of pollution monitoring due to coronavirus: “Environmental groups are suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over a March memo signaling that the agency would not seek penalties against companies that do not monitor their pollution during the coronavirus outbreak. The March 26 memo allows any number of industries to skirt environmental laws, with the agency saying it will not “seek penalties for noncompliance with routine monitoring and reporting obligations.” ... ” Read more from The Hill here: Green groups sue after EPA suspends enforcement of pollution monitoring due to coronavirus
Water board issues certification necessary for Klamath Dams removal: “On April 7, the State Water Resources Control Board issued a Clean Water Act certification and environmental assessment for the proposal to remove dams around Copco Lake and Iron Gate Reservoir. The water board’s regulatory role in this process as the state agency responsible for implementing the Clean Water Act is limited to protection of water quality, but it is another hurdle that moves the prospect of re-opening 360 miles of the Klamath River and its tributaries to imperiled salmon closer to reality. The permit conditions will become part of the broader Lower Klamath Project License Surrender Order that must be issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission before the dams can be decommissioned and removed. ... ” Read more from the Mt. Shasta Herald here: Water board issues certification necessary for dam removal
Humboldt Bay harbor being dredged, but economy dry amid COVID-19: “A heavily sediment-layered portion of Humboldt Bay is being dredged by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, marking a victory for harbor officials amid huge economic losses from the coronavirus pandemic. The harbor’s Eureka Channel is supposed to be 27 feet deep but shoaling, or sediment buildup, has rendered it as shallow as 10 feet in some parts. But the Army Corps of Engineers is dredging the area back to normalcy and paying a contractor $22 million to reconstruct the harbor’s jetties. “It’s a little bit of good news in these days of sadness,” said Larry Oetker, executive director of the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District. ... ” Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard here: Humboldt Bay harbor being dredged, but economy dry amid COVID-19
Bay Area: Environmental groups oppose U.S. Army corps plan to dredge the bay for bigger oil tankers: “Drive east along Interstate 80, past the Phillips 66 refinery in Rodeo, and you can see that the Bay Area remains very much embedded in the fossil fuel economy. And if the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has its way, we may well be doubling down on that relationship. The Corps has a pending proposal, officially dubbed the “San Francisco Bay to Stockton, California Navigation Study,” to dredge a 13-mile stretch of the San Francisco Bay Estuary from San Pablo Bay (just north of Point San Pablo) through the Carquinez Strait to the Benicia-Martinez Bridge. This project would deepen the channel leading to four oil refineries along the shoreline by an average of three feet, allowing for the arrival of a larger class of oil tankers than can currently access these refineries. … ” Read more from Bay Nature here: Bay Area: Environmental groups oppose U.S. Army corps plan to dredge the bay for bigger oil tankers
Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority board kicks Mojave Pistachios off committees: “Mojave Pistachios, one of the largest agricultural operations in the Indian Wells Valley, was removed from the IWV Groundwater Authority’s two advisory committees following nonpayment of a pump fee on Thursday. The decision came following a lengthy discussion and eventual 4-1 vote by the board of directors. Ron Kiciski, representing the IWV Water District, was the lone no vote. “If we give [Mojave Pistachios] a pass, we will have to give a pass to (IWV Water District) ratepayers,” Geason said. ... ” Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent here: Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority board kicks Mojave Pistachios off committees
Ventura County again shakes ‘abnormally dry’ label; rainfall totals climb close to normal: “As rainfall totals climb closer to normal, Ventura County shook off its “abnormally dry” designation from the U.S. Drought Monitor this week. On Thursday, the team behind the weekly updates released a map upgrading the county to normal. Three weeks earlier, the county had moved from moderate drought to abnormally dry, the first stage of drought conditions. Late season storms have doused Southern California, breaking records in some spots. Meanwhile, Northern California mostly stayed dry, leaving more than half of the state in some level of drought conditions. ... ” Read more from the Ventura County Star here: Ventura County again shakes ‘abnormally dry’ label; rainfall totals climb close to normal
Southern Nevada Water Authority shelves controversial Las Vegas pipeline project: “The Southern Nevada Water Authority is ending a decades-long effort to build a controversial 300-mile pipeline to pump rural groundwater from eastern Nevada to Las Vegas. On Thursday afternoon, the water authority confirmed in a statement that it would not appeal a recent court ruling that denied the agency a portion of its water rights. The decision means the water agency is shelving a development project that has long inflamed tensions between rural and urban Nevada, from the Legislature to the courts, and eclipsed nearly all other water issues in the state. … ” Read more from the Nevada Independent here: Southern Nevada Water Authority shelves controversial Las Vegas pipeline project
Utah: Kane County does an about-face, pulls out of Lake Powell pipeline project: “For the past decade, Kane County leaders have argued that their southern Utah community will need water piped from the Colorado River to meet future needs, but the local water district abruptly announced Thursday it was pulling out of the costly Lake Powell pipeline project, leaving Washington County as the only remaining recipient of the water. … ” Read more from the Salt Lake Tribune here: Kane County does an about-face, pulls out of Lake Powell pipeline project
National Water and Climate Update: “The Natural Resources Conservation Service produces this weekly report using data and products from the National Water and Climate Center and other agencies. The report focuses on seasonal snowpack, precipitation, temperature, and drought conditions in the U.S. Severe storms over the weekend left much destruction in their wake. Numerous tornadoes and strong winds were reported. The National Weather Service confirmed tornadoes had a combined path of over 700 miles of damage. Severe damage across many states left homes and businesses damaged or destroyed, millions without power, many injuries, and 34 deaths. A two-mile-wide tornado in Mississippi was the state’s largest on record. South Carolina reported the strongest tornadoes since 1984.”
dmrpt-20200416
ESTUARY PEARLS: Beaver dams, new sea level rise report, improving conditions for endangered steelhead trout, a resurgence of dinoflagellates, and more …
DELTA eNEWS: ~~ Postponed Asparagus~ Bridge Repair~ Ferry Closed~ Bridge Closures ~~
ANNOUNCEMENT: Submit Your “Shovel-Ready” Water Recycling Projects for Stimulus Investment
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.
