Trump’s wild rant about California water transcribed (and translated): Dan Bacher writes, “Donald Trump’s recent rant about California water, based loosely on corporate agribusiness talking points, is one of the most strangest of his that I have listened to. I decided to transcribe the president’s musings from the below video, shared on Twitter by Aaron Rupar, an associate editor at Vox covering politics and policy, so people could see exactly what what Trump said. Trump made the comments during a meeting with Congressman Devin Nunes, a relentless supporter of pumping more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to Central Valley agribusiness corporations at an enormous cost to West Coast fisheries, Delta farmers, California Indian Tribes, recreational and commercial fishing families, environmental justice communities, Delta and Northern California businesses and the people of California. … ” Go read – and listen (especially the second twitter clip) – at the Daily Kos here: Trump’s wild rant about California water transcribed (and translated)
Nunes, Trump talk Calif. water, Flynn case in White House sit down: “With the House of Representatives remaining out of session, restless Republican Members of Congress left Capitol Hill and traversed to the otherside of Pennsylvania Avenue for a meeting with President Donald Trump on Friday. … Nunes pivoted the conversation to a key regional victory for the President: shifting the balance in California’s long-standing water wars. … ” Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun here: Nunes, Trump talk Calif. water, Flynn case in White House sit down Note: Includes 10 minute video of meeting noted above. Scroll down to the bottom for the section on water.
Voluntary agreements derailment frustrating with water fight: “It was one-step forward, two steps back with California’s water situation earlier this year. When Governor Newsom decided to challenge the Trump administration regarding biological opinions in the Sacramento-Delta, the voluntary pumping agreement framework established got put on hold. Western Growers President Dave Puglia said it was a frustrating decision, but hopefully a medium can be found so progress isn’t tied up while a legal matter drags on.” Listen to the radio show here: Voluntary agreements derailment frustrating with water fight
Going with the Flows: McGeorge School of Law professor Jennifer Harder on water issues, laws and uses: “Professor Jennifer Harder is the co-director of the Water & Environmental Law program at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento. Prior to becoming a full-time professor in 2015, Harder practiced law for a decade as an attorney and partner with Downey Brand in Sacramento. Comstock’s spoke with Harder about water issues affecting the Capital Region and California. ... ” Read more at Comstock’s here: Going with the Flows: McGeorge School of Law professor Jennifer Harder on water issues, laws and uses
Massive Northern California reservoir project scaled back to reduce costs: “An ambitious plan to build the largest new reservoir in California in 40 years to supply water to homes and businesses from the Bay Area to Los Angeles, along with Central Valley farmers, is being scaled back considerably amid questions about its $5 billion price tag and how much water it can deliver. Sites Reservoir is proposed for construction in remote ranch lands in Colusa County, about 70 miles north of Sacramento. The reservoir, originally designed to be four times as big as Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park and nearly as big as San Luis Reservoir between Gilroy and Los Banos, received more money than any other project two years ago from a water bond passed by state voters during California’s historic drought. But supporters still haven’t found enough to pay all the construction costs. ... ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Massive Northern California reservoir project scaled back to reduce costs
Undercurrents of the Kern River’s flow are thick with intrigue, outrage: “Water is flowing through the heart of Bakersfield in the Kern River and local water managers are shaking their heads in disbelief and frustration. Except, that is, for Art Chianello. Chianello is Bakersfield’s Water Resources Department director and the man behind the healthy flow currently being enjoyed by numerous residents as springtime temperatures heat up. ... ” Read more from SJV Water here: Undercurrents of the Kern River’s flow are thick with intrigue, outrage
How reliable are Groundwater Sustainability Plans? “Earlier this year, the first local Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) were submitted to California’s Department of Water Resources for basins with the most severe groundwater overdraft. To comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, these plans must address any “significant and unreasonable” impacts of groundwater overdraft that occurred after January 1, 2015, including lowering groundwater levels and other “undesirable results.” The math for ending overdraft is simple: groundwater basins must balance their budgets, by increasing groundwater recharge and reducing pumping. In principle, evaluating the adequacy of these plans to achieve sustainability should also be simple: Does the anticipated reduction in pumping plus increase in recharge equal or exceed the basin’s long-term rate of overdraft? ... ” Read more from the California Water Blog here: How reliable are Groundwater Sustainability Plans?
Pandemic could complicate efforts to upgrade state drinking water systems: “An unprecedented and fledgling statewide effort to shore up hundreds of struggling drinking water systems could face intense pressure from the novel coronavirus pandemic as the program is rolled out in coming months. For almost a year now, the California Water Resources Control Board has been working to craft the program, and on Tuesday it approved a policy designed to guide the spending of $1.3 billion over 10 years to save some 300 water systems that are failing or at-risk of failing. ... ” Read more from SF Gate here: Pandemic could complicate efforts to upgrade state drinking water systems
Megadrought ‘unprecedented in human history’ likely the new normal across the West: “Come spring, the American West’s vast water reservoirs are supposed to fill with melting snow. However this year, as in recent years, the large reservoirs of Lake Mead and Lake Powell in the Colorado River basin have seen declining water levels — an ominous trend that a new study warns could signal a looming megadrought. ... ” Read more from CBS San Francisco here: Megadrought ‘unprecedented in human history’ likely the new normal across the West
Attempted cyberattack highlights vulnerability of global water infrastructure: “In late April, Israel’s National Cyber Directorate received reports about an attempted “major” cyberattack on its water infrastructure. According to a statement issued by the directorate, the attack consisted of “assault attempts on control and control systems of wastewater treatment plants, pumping stations and sewers.” The directorate called on water companies to change their internet passwords, make sure their control system software is updated, and undertake other cyber hygiene measures to tighten security. ... ” Read more from IT World here: Attempted cyberattack highlights vulnerability of global water infrastructure
This week in water: “Extremely hot and humid conditions occur twice as often now as they did 40 years ago around the world, and the severity is increasing. Trump signed an executive order to strengthen offshore fish farming, worrying environmentalists. With hurricane season approaching, COVID-19 could be spread through storm-damaged infrastructure. Snowpack in the U.S. West is melting earlier this year, increasing the risk of wildfires. Could cannabis cure Florida’s problem of algal blooms?” Listen to podcast or read articles here: This week in water
How much more can California farmers take? Todd Fitchette writes, “California’s governor is an ironic character. While farmers were willing to give him credit for meeting more with them early in his role than his predecessor did, his actions of late speak louder than his feigned concern for growers. Gov. Newsom’s political philosophies and his decisions on issues surrounding water and workers’ compensation say it all. While it is easier for some to flee for states that value personal liberty and freedoms more than those who make up California’s supermajority do, it is not that simple for farmers and the businesses that support them to pack up and move out. ... ” Read more from the Western Farm Press here: How much more can California farmers take?
Southern California doesn’t have decades to figure out water recycling. We need it now, says the LA Times: They write, “The great achievement of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is that few people ever give it much thought. You turn on the faucet and the water comes out. The stuff is reliably clean and safe, and always available. Pretty cheap, too. If you live in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino or Ventura county, there’s a good chance your water was supplied to your city or water agency by the Met, which in turn got it from — but wait, who really cares where the Met got it from? We don’t have to worry about it. The water is just there. Always has been. Always will be. Until it’s not, of course. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Southern California doesn’t have decades to figure out water recycling. We need it now
COVID-19 stopped Arizona’s public groundwater debate – and just when it was getting good, says Joanna Allhands: She writes, “The clock is ticking for Arizona’s limited groundwater supply. Aquifer levels are continuing to drop, some by alarming numbers. Slowing the drain will be costly, complex and take time to finalize – which means we have little time to sit on our hands. Multiple local and statewide planning efforts were underway this spring, engaging folks from Kingman to Willcox. But COVID-19 has shut down most of that work – meaning we’ve lost a few months of critical planning time that we don’t have. And just when the debate was starting to get good. ... ” Read more from the Arizona Sun here: COVID-19 stopped Arizona’s public groundwater debate – and just when it was getting good
In California water news this weekend:
- Well-known Salton Sea origin story questioned by new research, suggesting it wasn’t ‘accidental’;
- It’s time to plan for drier Western rivers;
- Beneficial rain to quench parched Northern California;
- Reclamation seeks input on proposed Friant-Kern Canal capacity fixes;
- Poop tests in sewage might predict coronavirus surge;
- Supreme Court: Climate change unleashes interstate water wars;
- The Trump Administration is reversing nearly 100 environmental rules. Here’s the full list;
- and more …
- INPUT WANTED: Voluntary information request to inform proposed water loss performance standards
- FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: Release of Draft Recommended Funding Lists for Proposition 1 IRWM Implementation Grants for Public Comment (Central Coast, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Joaquin River)
- NOTICE: Resources and Information on Water Shutoffs from the State Water Board
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.
