In California water news and commentary today …
Three lessons for California’s water funding challenges in today’s recession
Ellen Hanak and Jelena Jezdimirovic write, “California’s water managers have had their hands full keeping our water systems safe and operational during the COVID-19 pandemic. But their work on addressing the fiscal consequences of the deep economic recession is just beginning. Three lessons from the Great Recession of 2007-09 could guide more effective policy responses today. ... ” Read more from Cal Matters here: Three lessons for California’s water funding challenges in today’s recession
Significant rainfall may be double-edged sword for northwestern US this week
“A multi-day rain event is just what the northwestern United States needs to help put out the dozens of active wildfires, and forecasters say that is in the offing later this week. But could there be too much of a good thing? From last Friday into the weekend, the region received some relief from the smoke and haze that has persisted due to the fires as a weak storm moved in from the Pacific. Light rain fell across western Washington and Oregon, but areas east of the Cascades received very little rainfall. … ” Read more from Accu-Weather here: Significant rainfall forecast for fire-scarred Northwest; flash flooding, mudslides a concern
SEE ALSO: AR Update: A Potentially Strong Atmospheric River Could Douse the Pacific Northwest Next Week, from the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes
California is dangerously parochial. Hazards like wildfires ignore regional boundaries
“The recent plague of smoke-darkened skies over the Bay Area did make one thing clear: We Californians are all in this together. That notion of a shared fate in this state of 40 million residents runs counter to the idea that our region stands apart, or that our priorities are the only ones that count. That the Bay Area has nothing in common with the rest of Northern California, much less the netherworld of Los Angeles and its sprawling neighbors. But if California is going to make headway on the various hazards that darken our future — taking effective action on problems ranging from forest management to equitable housing development — we need to embrace a shared acceptance of our common bonds. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: California is dangerously parochial. Hazards like wildfires ignore regional boundaries
Trump dismisses climate change role in fires, says Newsom needs to manage forest better
“President Trump dismissed evidence pointed to by California’s governor of climate change’s role in the state’s continuing wildfires during a Fox News interview on Sunday, blaming the problem once again on poor management of state forests. The president spoke during the interview with radio host Mark Levin about his recent meeting with Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), with whom Trump said he has a disagreement over the cause of California’s record-setting wildfires. “Honestly, he’s been very nice with the words which is good,” Trump said of Newsom. “But I said you’ve got to manage this. It’s a management thing. He said, ‘no it’s global warming.’ I said, ‘when the leaves build up and you have a floor of leaves and the trees fall down and you don’t remove them because the environmentalists don’t want you to touch the tree, within 18 months that tree becomes like a matchstick.'” … ” Read more from The Hill here: Trump dismisses climate change role in fires, says Newsom needs to manage forest better
How California became ground zero for climate change
“California is one of America’s marvels. By moving vast quantities of water and suppressing wildfires for decades, the state has transformed its arid and mountainous landscape into the richest, most populous and bounteous place in the nation. But now, those same feats have given California a new and unwelcome category of superlatives. This year is the state’s worst wildfire season on record. That follows its hottest August on record; a punishing drought that lasted from 2011 to last year; and one of its worst flood emergencies on record three years ago, when heavy rains caused the state’s highest dam to nearly fail, forcing more than 180,000 people to flee. … ” Read more from the New York Times here: How California became ground zero for climate change
In regional water news and commentary today …
New conservation plan benefits California steelhead—and irrigators, too
“Improvements in fish passage and assurances of water in California’s Calaveras River will help promote recovery of threatened steelhead. These changes will be implemented under the first plan of its kind in the Central Valley of California. The Calaveras River Habitat Conservation Plan finalized this week includes commitments by the Stockton East Water District to improve conditions in the Calaveras River for steelhead. In turn, the Water District gets assurances that it can continue distributing water to irrigators and others without violating the Endangered Species Act. … ” Read more from NOAA here: New conservation plan benefits California steelhead—and irrigators, too
Anderson Dam, reservoir by Morgan Hill set to close for decade-long upgrade
“Anderson Reservoir above Morgan Hill is about to close to the public for an upgrade. And while there is clearly a need for it some are shocked by how long it will be off-limits. In 2009, the earthen Anderson Dam was found to be seismically unsound. So, beginning Oct. 1, the public will no longer be allowed anywhere near the lake as the water level is drawn down to almost nothing. … ” Read more from KPIX Channel 5 here: Anderson Dam, reservoir by Morgan Hill set to close for decade-long upgrade
Santa Cruz: Where the seagrass grows: Agricultural plastics and precious watersheds
Rachel Kippen writes, ” … Plastic drip tape, used for irrigation, is dotted with holes that allow water to seep into fields, often conserving water as opposed to blasting it from a sprinkler head. Plastic film mulch sheets heat under the beating sun, baking soil to eliminate weeds and pathogens, while at the same time releasing plasticizers and other chemicals into the dirt. When rain falls on plastic-coated agricultural land, it may runoff rapidly rather than absorbing into the sediment, which is particularly problematic in overdrafted basins such as the Pajaro Valley. Contrary to popular belief, plasticulture is used in both conventional and organic farming operations. In summation, agricultural plastics are not all bad, but they’re certainly not all good, a poster child for the complexities of modern-day sustainability. … ” Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel here: Where the seagrass grows: Agricultural plastics and precious watersheds
San Diego: Open-ocean fish farm proposed off San Diego coast could be first in federal waters
“A prestigious San Diego research institute and a Long Beach social-benefit investment group are teaming to create what could be the first fish farm in federal waters. The proposed Pacific Ocean AquaFarm would be about four miles offshore of San Diego and would generate 5,000 metric tons of sushi-grade yellowfish each year — enough for 11 million servings of the popular seafood. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Open-ocean fish farm proposed off San Diego coast could be first in federal waters
Along the Colorado River …
Killing the Vegas Pipeline: Nevada’s attitude toward water is changing.
“For decades, the Great Basin Water Network has made a point of strange bedfellowing. Its ranks include ranchers, environmentalists, sportsmen, rural county commissioners, Indigenous leaders, water users from Utah, and rural and urban Nevadans. Over the years, these groups united against a single cause: the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s “Groundwater Development Project,” a proposal to pump 58 billion gallons of water a year 300 miles to Las Vegas from the remote rural valleys of Nevada and Utah. Nevadans called it the Las Vegas Pipeline; its ardent foes called it a water grab. In May, their three decades of resistance to the pipeline ended in victory: The project was terminated. … ” Read more from High Country News here: Killing the Vegas Pipeline: Nevada’s attitude toward water is changing.
In national water news today …
Environmental gains during pandemic prove short-lived
“The coronavirus pandemic isn’t having the lasting environmental boost some had hoped for, as emissions tick back up and single-use products like disposable face masks and takeout cutlery clog landfills. At the height of the COVID-19 outbreak in the spring, greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 17 percent globally as commutes came to a halt and people stuck closer to home. At the same time, many cities with bans on plastic bags and styrofoam containers suspended those policies to ease burdens on restaurants and avoid potential transmission at grocery stores, though surface contact is no longer suspected to be a major contributor to virus spread. … ” Read more from The Hill here: Environmental gains during pandemic prove short-lived
And lastly …
The incredible tale of a man who formed an unlikely bond with an octopus
“Craig Foster was diving, bare-chested, in bitterly cold waters off the southern-most tip of Africa when he saw her — an octopus hiding under a cloak of shells and stones. Enchanted, he began following this incredibly shy creature, trying to prove he wasn’t a predator by staying very still in her presence. For weeks she evaded him: hiding in her den, camouflaging herself, or pushing her liquid body into the nearest crack to escape. And then, after 26 days of near obsessive wooing, she reached out and touched him. … ” Read more and watch video at CNN here: The incredible tale of a man who formed an unlikely bond with an octopus
Weekend Daily Digest …
This weekend in California water news:
- Dozens of little-known California oil spills have earned companies millions of dollars
- 20-mile replacement canal is preferred fix for the sagging Friant-Kern Canal
- US Bureau of Reclamation releases final plan to fix Friant-Kern Canal
- Delta Legacy Communities objects to DWR’s $15 million loan for Delta tunnel engineering design
- Q/A: Why floodplains are important for California salmon
- California can’t recover from its devastating fires unless it overhauls its zoning laws
- Rich Svindland, President of Cal Am: Explaining California American Water’s decision to withdraw application
- S.F.’s Embarcadero could be devastated by earthquakes and rising seas, study warns
- Ridgecrest City Council mulls role on Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority; changes nothing
- EPA’s biggest civil rights obstacle? Itself
- And more …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
PUBLICATION: California Fish and Wildlife Journal, Vol. 106, Issue 3
