- ONLINE WORKSHOP: Water Use Studies Workgroup Meeting from 9am to 11am: The focus of this meeting will be on the Indoor Residential Water Use Study. The objective is to inform the working group about the Indoor Residential Water Use Study, including study scope, sampling strategy, and approach to the monthly, hourly, and end-use disaggregation analyses that will be used to develop estimates of baseline indoor residential water use. Meeting is open to all. Register for Zoom Meeting: https://csus.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYpdOGhpz4jGtewfMVqtQ-Cfzb6q7mtIg-r
- The Delta Stewardship Council meets beginning at 9am. During its July 2020 meeting, councilmembers will hear updates from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy and the Delta Protection Commission on their respective activities relative to implementation of the Delta Plan. Additionally, the California Department of Water Resources and Central Valley Flood Protection Board will present on the process for and objectives behind preparation of a 2022 update to the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (Flood Plan). Council staff will also describe how the Flood Plan relates to the Delta Plan. Click here for the full agenda. Click here to watch on webcast.
Admitting failure on water, the Monterey Peninsula will beg state officials for a new deadline: “Almost exactly 25 years after being ordered to stop illegally pumping water from the Carmel River, the Monterey Peninsula will have to beg state officials for another extension. On July 20, the board of the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District voted unanimously to send a letter to the State Water Resources Control Board acknowledging the failure to make progress on developing a new water supply. … ” Read more from Monterey County Weekly here: Admitting failure on water, the Monterey Peninsula will beg state officials for a new deadline
Friant-Kern Canal issues receiving increased federal interest: “In recent weeks there has been an increased focus on Friant-Kern Canal issues among lawmakers and federal agencies. The water conveyance system is in need of considerable investment to address subsidence that has drastically reduced the ability to effectively move water. Estimates for what is needed to address Friant-Kern Canal issues range between $450 million to $600 million. … ” Read more from Ag Net West here: Friant-Kern Canal issues receiving increased federal interest
Accurate weather forecasts 28 days out: “Hey, Google, what’s the weather? We have become comfortable with the idea that we can make decisions based on accurate weather forecasts for the next three, five or seven days. Families plan cookouts for the upcoming weekend. Citrus farmers protect orange trees if a freeze is coming. Emergency managers evacuate towns that will be downwind of wildfires. Communities along rivers prepare sandbags to line homes and businesses if heavy rain looms. But all kinds of decisions could benefit from accurate prediction that stretched as far as three or four weeks out. … ” Continue reading at Scientific American here: Accurate weather forecasts 28 days out
As flood season settles in, experts shed light on dam safety problems: “U.S. dam safety frameworks have helped to prevent major calamities, but the May collapse of the 95-year-old Edenville Dam in Michigan illustrates that key failure risks remain—often involving many causes, according to a study of dam safety risk assessments by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. “It’s really unusual that a big system fails because of one thing,” says Greg Baecher, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Maryland, and co-author of the Oak Ridge report conducted for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and published late last year. … ” Read more from Engineering News Record here: As flood season settles in, experts shed light on dam safety problems
Congress passes sprawling plan to boost conservation, parks: “A bipartisan bill that would spend nearly $3 billion on conservation projects, outdoor recreation and maintenance of national parks and other public lands is on its way to the president’s desk after winning final legislative approval. Supporters say the measure, known as the Great American Outdoors Act, would be the most significant conservation legislation enacted in nearly half a century. The House approved the bill 310-107 Wednesday, weeks after it won overwhelming approval in the Senate. The bill now goes to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it. … ” Read more from the AP here: Congress passes sprawling plan to boost conservation, parks
Trump administration finalizes rule to streamline and modernize EPA permit process: “Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule that streamlines and modernizes the review of permits by the Agency’s Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) for the first time in nearly three decades. Additionally, the final rule provides more flexibility to regulated parties, states and tribes, and the public. “Over the years, the scope of responsibilities for EPA’s EAB has changed and the permitting appeal has become too lengthy,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Making the reviews more streamlined and the judicial review more prompt will lead to better certainty and a fairer process for both those applying for EPA permits and for the public.” … “
Groundbreaking study: Earth will warm 4.9 to 7 degrees F “How much warming will greenhouse gas emissions cause in the coming years? It’s one of the most fundamental questions about climate change — and also one of the trickiest to answer. Now, a major study claims to have narrowed down the range of possible estimates. It presents both good and bad news. The worst-case climate scenarios may be somewhat less likely than previous studies suggested. But the best-case climate scenarios — those assuming the least amount of warming — are almost certainly not going to happen. It’s “the most important climate science paper that’s come out in several years,” according to climate scientist Andrew Dessler of Texas A&M University, who was not involved with the study. ... ” Read more from E&E News here: Groundbreaking study: Earth will warm 4.9 to 7 degrees F
Higher Feather River levels not making big ripples: “What last year was a major recreation event drawing hundreds to Butte County is barely making waves as the water levels of the Feather River will increase dramatically, making for great rapids. The question is will anyone care. Saturday and Sunday, PG&E will raise the water level on the North Fork of the Feather River, which goes from Quincy to Oroville. ... ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: Higher Feather River levels not making big ripples
Five creeks around Chico found with high levels of fecal matter: “Reports by a local group show that Chico Creeks contain a concerning level of fecal matter. Fruit Grower Laboratory did five test reports on our local watering holes like Sycamore Pool finding fecal coliform bacteria in these waters that can either be from humans or animals. “I wouldn’t let my children swim in certain parts of the creek,” said biologist Jody Gallaway. … ” Read more from Action News Now here: Five creeks around Chico found with high levels of fecal matter
EchoWater California megaprojects: “With daunting compliance deadlines on the horizon, Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District, also known as Regional San, is at the peak of the largest and most ambitious project in its history. After nearly a decade of planning, engineering, testing and construction, the nearly $2-billion EchoWater project aims to meet a 2010 stringent treatment requirement issued by California and local authorities. They have called for cleaner discharge into the Sacramento River by 2023 from the Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant in Elk Grove, Calif. ... ” Read more from Engineering News-Record here: EchoWater California megaprojects
Stockton Delta faces resurfacing of algal bloom: “Warm weather, inadequate water flow, and pollution run-off have created the resurfacing of the algal bloom in different areas throughout the Stockton Delta. The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board issued a warning after testing samples around Stockton waterways which ranged from caution to danger. Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla with Restore the Delta says people are advised to stay out of the water in places such as the Stockton Deepwater Channel, the Stockton Waterfront, and the Calaveras River. She says the bloom can be a real health risk to boaters, skiers, and swimmers as well as their pets. … ” Read more from Capital Public Radio here: Stockton Delta faces resurfacing of algal bloom
Toxic algae blooms in and around Stockton worst they’ve ever been, Delta advocate says: “Toxic sludge is collecting in corners, around boats and floating in patches through the Delta, turning the water bright green. “We’re watching it every year, with climate change becoming worse and worse,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla with Restore the Delta. Barrigan-Parrilla said this year’s bloom is the worst it’s ever been. “This year the harmful algal blooms expand from the Port of Stockton all along the waterfront, from downtown Stockton and into the San Joaquin and Calaveras rivers,” she told FOX40. … ” Read more from KTXL here: Toxic algae blooms in and around Stockton worst they’ve ever been, Delta advocate says
Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board staff recommends approval of permit for Huntington Beach desal project (press release from Poseidon): “Today, the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board (“Regional Board”) issued a Staff Report recommending approval of a Tentative Order making amendments to and renewing its operating permit first issued in 2006 for the proposed Huntington Beach Desalination Project (“Project”). The Regional Board is scheduled to consider its staff-prepared permit and recommendation beginning on Thursday, July 30, 2020. The Regional Board staff’s proposed permit amendment and renewal considered all requirements of the California Ocean Plan’s new seawater desalination policy and finds that there is an identified need for the 50 million gallons per day of desalinated water the Huntington Beach Desalination Project will provide. ... ” Read more from PR Newswire here: Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board staff recommends approval of permit for Huntington Beach desal project
Expansion of San Clemente manmade reef, likely the world’s largest, finishes early: “Delays stalled the expansion what is likely the world’s biggest man-made reef offshore of San Clemente. But once boulders started rolling off the barges, the project went faster than predicted. Dumping of the 200 acres of new rocks wrapped up Monday, July 20, about two weeks ahead of schedule, as Southern California Edison finally completed its mitigation obligations for the now-shuttered San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. … ” Read more from the Long Beach Press-Telegram here: Expansion of San Clemente manmade reef, likely the world’s largest, finishes early
New fish-friendly seawater intake pumps at Carlsbad Desalination Plant: “New fish-friendly seawater intake pumps recently commissioned at the Carlsbad Desalination Plant are among the most environmentally advanced intake pumps in the world. The three intake pumps, manufactured by Indar, are part of a broader effort to ensure the long-term health of the marine environment near the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant, which sits on the shores of Agua Hedionda Lagoon. ... ” Read more from the Water News Network here: New fish-friendly seawater intake pumps at Carlsbad Desalination Plant
San Diego city ratepayers overbilled for industrial wastewater: “A San Diego city audit has revealed that residents and businesses have been improperly charged tens of millions of dollars in fees to cover industrial wastewater services. The audit also exposed that the businesses responsible for the industrial wastewater discharges have not been charged their fair share for decades. This, in spite of audits and studies going back to 2013 that revealed a problem going back as far as the 1980s. ... ” Read more from KPBS here: San Diego city ratepayers overbilled for industrial wastewater
What happens in Vegas, may come from the Arctic? “A cave deep in the wilderness of central Nevada is a repository of evidence supporting the urgent need for the Southwestern U.S. to adopt targets aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a new UNLV study finds. UNLV climate scientist Matthew Lachniet and colleagues have compiled a detailed, 13,000-year climate history from stalagmite specimens in Leviathan Cave, located in the southern Great Basin, which provides clues for the mitigation of climate change today. These ancient climate records show that Nevada was even hotter and drier in the past than it is today, and that one 4,000-year period in particular may represent a true, “worst-case” scenario picture for the Southwest and the Colorado River Basin — and the millions of people who rely on its water supply. … ” Read more from the University of Nevada Las Vegas here: What happens in Vegas, may come from the Arctic?
SCIENCE NEWS: Water hyacinth acts like ‘plastic wrap’ on the Delta; Creating a new fishery at Mountain Meadows Reservoir; Accurate weather forecasts 28 days out
DELTA eNEWS: ~~ Canceled Event~ Delta 2020~ Public Comment~ Grants Portal~ Flood Risks ~~
WATER PLAN eNEWS: ~~Lunch-MAR~ Climate Resilience~ Headwaters Tour~ Environmental Justice~ Workplace Inclusion~ Economic Revitalization~ Datathon~~
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.
