On the calendar today …
FREE EVENT: Women + Water: Valuing Water from 10:30 to 11:30 am. Presented by the Global Water Forum. Click here to register.
PUBLIC WEBINAR: State Board Seeking Feedback on Recommendations for an Effective Water Rights Response to Climate Change from 11am to 1pm. The webinar will provide a detailed overview of the staff report, and provide an opportunity to ask questions and comment. Participants may also provide input on the recommendations, data sources and approaches not captured in the report. Click here to register.
FREE WEBINAR: Using the programming language R to analyze and display correlations from 12pm to 1pm. David Altare will discuss using the programming language R to analyze and display correlations between past Redlining lending practices and today’s CalEnviro Screen scores. Presented by the State Water Board’s College of Water Informatics. Click here to register.
MEETING: Delta Conveyance Design and Construction Authority Board Meeting from 2pm to 5pm. Click here for more information.
MEETING: The Delta Protection Commission meets from 4pm to 6pm. Agenda items include a report from the Delta Protection Advisory Committee; Delta Watermaster update; Delta National Heritage Area; consideration of the Economic Sustainability Plan, Recreation and Tourism Update, Review of Commission Strategic Plan. Click here for the full agenda and remote access instructions.
MEETING: GRA SoCAL: Cannabis in Cali 101 – Everything You Always Wanted to Know but Were Afraid to Ask from 5pm to 6:30pm. Join GRAC member John Bliss for an insider’s wild and irreverent trip through the history and current status of commercial cannabis in California…and learn a little bit about groundwater. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
California appeals court limits groundwater pumping
“For the first time, a California Appellate Court has addressed the issue of limiting the right to pump groundwater by a landowner who has never pumped from a particular basin. While the rights of pumping and non-pumping landowners have generally been considered equal, the Fifth District Court of Appeal decided that, in certain situations, the two can be treated differently. The decision came in the ongoing adjudication of the Antelope Valley Groundwater Basin, the largest, most complex groundwater pumping rights case ever in California, and one of the largest in U.S. history. … ” Read more from Best Best & Krieger here: BB&K Secures Key Groundwater Pumping Rights Ruling
Once again, Lake Oroville and other reservoirs are at drought emergency levels
“If you were around here in 2014 or 2015, you were likely inundated with images of dried up reservoirs that looked like dirt canyons with little ponds in them, when a punishing drought forced the state to institute restrictions on water usage. Well, we’re likely headed for another summer of dried-up lawns (and wildfires) if Mother Nature continues to withhold the rain and snow that we need to make up for a super-dry November, December, and February. Water agencies around the Bay are starting to sound alarm bells, and as of earlier this month, Lake Oroville — the poster child in that spate of drought images seven years ago — was at 38% of its capacity. ... ” Read more from SFist here: Once again, Lake Oroville and other reservoirs are at drought emergency levels
Losing Rivers: Researchers reveal the extent to which rivers across the country are losing flow to aquifers
” … The interplay between surface water and groundwater is often overlooked by those who use this vital resource due to the difficulty of studying it. Assistant professors Scott Jasechko and Debra Perrone, of UC Santa Barbara, and their colleagues leveraged their enormous database of groundwater measurements to investigate the interaction between these related resources. Their results, published in Nature, indicate that many more rivers across the United States may be leaking water into the ground than previously realized. … ” Read more from UC Santa Barbara here: Losing Rivers: Researchers reveal the extent to which rivers across the country are losing flow to aquifers
Video: The future of California water: Discussion with Felicia Marcus and Gia Schneider
“CalTrout Watershed and Legacy Circle members and partners joined together last Thursday for an informative discussion on the visions for the future of California water. With a zoom room of visionaries themselves, we had a lively time! You can listen to the interviews with our guests Gia Schneider of Natel Energy and Felicia Marcus the William C. Landreth Visiting Fellow Stanford Water in the West in the video.” Watch video at CalTrout here: Video: The future of California water: Discussion with Felicia Marcus and Gia Schneider
Understanding the California water futures market
“California has recently established a water futures market that has brought with it some criticism as well as confusion. As the first of its kind in the country, it will function similarly to futures markets for other commodities. The market will allow water users to lock in a particular price they are willing to pay for water. This new futures market is entirely different from water markets that allow the purchasing of water allocations. “In this case, although it’s called a water futures market, there is no physical water being traded,” said Cora Kammeyer, Senior Researcher at the Pacific Institute. ... ” Read more from Ag Net West here: Understanding the California water futures market
Projects throughout the Western United States receive $42.4 million in grants from Reclamation to conserve and use water more efficiently
“The Bureau of Reclamation is awarding $42.4 million in grants to 55 projects throughout 13 states. These projects will improve the water reliability for these communities by using water more efficiently and power efficiency improvements that water supply reliability and generate more hydropower. The projects are anticipated to conserve more than 98,000 acre-feet of water per year. “Improving water and energy efficiencies is one way Reclamation is using its resources to provide communities in the West the ability to be resilient to climate change, because conserving water is also saving energy,” said Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. … ” Read more from the Bureau of Reclamation here: Projects throughout the Western United States receive $42.4 million in grants from Reclamation to conserve and use water more efficiently
The Biden administration’s critical role in Indian Country
“Tribal leaders see President Joe Biden’s administration as an opportunity to increase tribal consultation regarding issues like water management, oil and gas leasing, and land conservation. Here, we look at four major projects — all of them years in the making — that the new administration is tasked with advancing in the next four years. Most fall under the Department of the Interior, now headed by its first Indigenous secretary, Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo). … ” Klamath Dam Removal and the Colorado River Basin are two of the four projects. Read the article from High Country News here: The Biden administration’s critical role in Indian Country
Tribes, allies press state of California for wildfire policy changes
“Today the Karuk Tribe and a diverse coalition of partners released Good Fire: Current Barriers to the Expansion of Cultural Burning in California and Recommended Solutions, a comprehensive report looking at the obstacles that Tribes, ranchers, community fire safe councils and others face when trying to use cultural and prescribed burning to manage the unhealthy buildup of fuels in rural landscapes across California. The document is a policy roadmap for lawmakers and communities committed to better managing wildfire in California, and includes policy solutions to allow more prescribed fires to protect communities and resources. ... ” Continue reading at YubaNet here: Tribes, allies press state of California for wildfire policy changes
Universities prepare West for another big wildfire season
“The West Coast’s land-grand universities are holding webinars, conducting community meetings and publishing booklets to urge urban and rural residents to start preparing now for what could be another devastating wildfire season. Fire experts say this year’s wet, warm winter could contribute to yet another round of destruction this summer and fall, and scientists from Oregon State University, Washington State University and the University of California are teaching landowners about fuel-load management, resilient landscaping and how to plan for emergencies. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press here: Universities prepare West for another big wildfire season
In commentary today …
Column: Amid a drought, disinformation runs rampant on Calif.’s waterways
Wayne Western, columnist for the San Joaquin Valley Sun writes, “Welcome to dry California, a place where we have one full reservoir: a reservoir full of hyperbole, propaganda, and political theatre. Long gone are the days of subtle jockeying, messaging, and warnings dressed down to make you aware of a possible, potential, or likely situation. Those messages are now replaced by panic and urgent crisis so radical that they more resemble a thirty-minute sitcom of comedy where credibility and accountability have no place. … ” Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun here: Column: Amid a drought, disinformation runs rampant on Calif.’s waterways
In regional water news and commentary today …
Secretary Haaland confirmed, Klamath reacts
“On Tuesday, March 16, 2021, Deb Haaland took the oath of office to become the 54th Secretary of the Department of the Interior in a small ceremony with family. The oath of office was administered by Chief of Staff Jennifer Van der Heide. … Local leaders, organizations, and the Klamath Tribes have made statements on what this means for the Klamath Basin and how they hope to work with Secretary Haaland. Below are their comments. ... ” Read more from the Klamath Falls News here: Secretary Haaland confirmed, Klamath reacts
Further arguments loom in Klamath re-quantification ruling
“An Oregon judge has agreed to hear further legal arguments over his ruling that tribal water rights in the Klamath basin must be re-quantified. Because the judge’s legal opinion from last month hasn’t yet been reduced to an order, that means the Klamath tribes can enforce their water rights to shut off irrigation in the meantime. ... ” Read more from the Capital Press here: Further arguments loom in Klamath re-quantification ruling
Another year of drought in Mendocino County
“There are no ducks paddling around the south boat ramp at Lake Mendocino—no waterfowl of any kind—no geese stridently squabbling around the parking lot. That is, of course, because there’s no water all the way from the parking lot to the little island just to the east and way beyond. (From the loud and constant honking coming from the island, it appears the geese are hanging out there.) The steps for swimmers to enter, usually covered in water, extend to a very dry lake bed, for a very long way, and the boat ramp on the other side is a structure going nowhere, actually, to more, dry lake bed, again, extending for quite a distance. ... ” Read more from the Ukiah Daily Journal here: Another year of drought in Mendocino County
Drought disaster status creates potential flood of assistance for some in Plumas
“Plumas County is now a primary natural disaster area due to recent drought conditions, Plumas-Sierra County Agricultural Commissioner Willo Vieira announced to the Plumas County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, March 16. The declaration puts local ranchers and farmers in line to apply for assistance through the Farm Service Agency in Susanville. Emergency loans are available for those who meet the criteria. ... ” Read more from the Plumas County News here: Drought disaster status creates potential flood of assistance for some in Plumas
Stretch of lower Yuba River closing to watercraft for habitat enhancement work
“More than one mile of the north channel of the lower Yuba River will be closed to all watercraft starting April 1 through early December for habitat enhancement work as part of Yuba Water Agency’s Hallwood Side Channel and Floodplain Restoration Project. The north channel of the river will be closed from Daguerre Point Dam to 6,000 feet downstream until December 1, 2021. Signs will be placed at popular entry points along the river, alerting boaters of the closure. The south channel will remain open to shallow-draft watercraft. ... ” Read more from YubaNet here: Stretch of lower Yuba River closing to watercraft for habitat enhancement work
Napa County prepares to resume flood control work to protect Napa
“Amid a drought, Napa County is preparing to protect more than 2,000 city of Napa properties from the next flood. The county learned earlier this year that the stalled Napa River flood control project will receive $48.3 million in federal funds. That has local flood control officials talking about the final round of projects. Step one has been meeting with officials from the federal partner, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, by Zoom. Four flood control projects totaling about $94 million are to be done with a mixture of federal, local, developer and grant money. ... ” Read more from the Napa Register here: Napa County prepares to resume flood control work to protect Napa
North Marin Water District approves Novato drought measures
“The North Marin Water District adopted emergency conservation rules for Novato residents and businesses this week in response to record-low rainfall. The district has only recorded about 8 inches of rain at its Stafford Lake reservoir since July, which is the lowest amount for this time of year since records began in 1916. The ordinance adopted by the district board on Tuesday doesn’t immediately impose new conservation requirements, but it does give the district the ability to quickly adopt stricter measures if needed in the coming weeks. Options that could be considered by the board in April include restricting outdoor irrigation, suspending new water connections and setting mandatory conservation targets. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here: North Marin Water District approves Novato drought measures
Marin: Absent oil threat, Challenger left on the rocks
“An old fishing vessel wrecked on a remote stretch of shoreline north of Dillon Beach has been abandoned indefinitely. Officials suspended their response to the American Challenger this week as the threat of an oil spill was abated and emergency funding dried up. Salvaging the vessel will depend on finding a multimillion-dollar funding source and creating a feasible plan to free the 90-foot boat from the rocky, high-energy tidal zone where it is grounded. … ” Read more from the Point Reyes Light here: Absent oil threat, Challenger left on the rocks
Coyote Valley: $16 million deals preserve open space and farmland on San Jose’s southern edges
“In the latest effort to protect Coyote Valley, a Palo Alto environmental group has closed three deals totaling $16.5 million to purchase 331 acres in the scenic expanse of rural land on San Jose’s southern edges that was the center of development battles for decades but now has become one of the Bay Area’s main conservation projects. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Coyote Valley: $16 million deals preserve open space and farmland on San Jose’s southern edges
Commentary: Water conservation is a way of life in the Santa Clara Valley
Tony Estremera, chair of the Valley Water Board of Directors writes, “Valley Water agrees with The Mercury News Editorial Board (“Drought threat should trigger conservation now,” March 4). The drought threat is real, and waiting for Mother Nature is not an option. The Valley Water Board of Directors has not forgotten about the dry years. We believe conservation is a way of life in Santa Clara County. At the end of the last historic drought, we implemented a call for a 20% reduction in water use compared to 2013, and we continue that policy today. People have responded. ... ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Commentary: Water conservation is a way of life in the Santa Clara Valley
Local photographer debuts first film ‘Where There Once Was Water’
“Local photographer Brittany App debuted her first film, “Where There Once Was Water,” on the San Luis Obispo Film Festival’s final day, Mar. 14. App directed and produced the film, which took five years to complete. “The day that kicked it off, I was sitting on my porch, and I looked across the street, and my neighbor was power washing his boat in his driveway, and it just made me crazy. And so I thought I need to do something as a creative person to bring a bit more attention to the issue because some of us are just not understanding what drought means,” said App. … ” Read more from the Paso Robles Daily Press here: Local photographer debuts first film ‘Where There Once Was Water’
San Luis Obispo Supervisors vote on groundwater management staffing needs
” … The Board heard from Mladen Bandov, the Senior Water Resources Engineer. On Dec. 17, 2019, the Board adopted the Paso Robles Subbasin GSP (Groundwater Sustainability Plan) and authorized the Director of Public Works to both submit the GSP to the State Department of Water Resources (DWR) by the Jan. 31, 2020 deadline and to serve as the point of contact with DWR (Plan Manager) on behalf of the GSAs in the Paso Robles Subbasin. The Board also directed staff to conduct an analysis of staffing needs and return to the Board with recommendations for Paso Robles Subbasin GSP implementation. The Board was presented with four options that staff contemplated. … ” Read more from the Paso Robles Daily Press here: San Luis Obispo Supervisors vote on groundwater management staffing needs
Kiewit-Stantec team breaks ground on Los Angeles groundwater remediation projects
“The Kiewit-Stantec design-build team recently broke ground on two multi-year projects that together total $400 million and will help remediate water from the San Fernando Valley Groundwater Basin (SFB) for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). The SFB covers 226 square miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The new state-of-the-art facilities at the North Hollywood Central Response Action Treatment Facility and Tujunga Well Field Response Action Treatment Facility will address historical groundwater contamination from post WWII and cold-war era industrial operations in the area. ... ” Read more from Water World here: Kiewit-Stantec team breaks ground on Los Angeles groundwater remediation projects
Orange County: Neon blue waves show up again off California coast – but will the phenomenon stick around?
“A bioluminescence lit the ocean a neon blue just off Dana Point’s harbor, a sight that caught boaters off guard Sunday, March 14, as they were out trying to catch a lobster dinner. Pamela Evans and Steve Mikulak, of Newport Beach, were with another couple putting out lobster traps just after sunset when they noticed the ocean glowing bright. Evans, who saw the rare sight last year, knew exactly what it was as the bright blue water churning behind the boat lit up. “All of us were like, ‘Look at the water, it’s so bright,’” she recalled. “I looked behind and it was all blue.” … ” Read more from the Mercury News here: Orange County: Neon blue waves show up again off California coast – but will the phenomenon stick around?
The race is on to strike ‘white gold’ at California’s Salton Sea
Journalist Sammy Roth writes, “There are few places in California, maybe anywhere, weirder or more wonderful than the Salton Sea. It’s a sparkling blue oasis in the state’s southeastern corner, framed by harsh desert, jutting mountains and seemingly endless green farm fields. Its modern incarnation was created more than 100 years ago, when the swelling waters of the Colorado River overran an agricultural canal. Now it’s drying up, spewing harmful dust into the Imperial Valley’s already badly polluted air. There are countless stories to be told around the Salton Sea. To me, one of the most fascinating is about lithium. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: The race is on to strike ‘white gold’ at California’s Salton Sea
In national water news today …
Spring Outlook: Drought to persist, expand in U.S. West and High Plains
“Nearly one-half of the country—stretching from the Pacific Coast to the Great Plains and upper Midwest—is currently experiencing moderate to exceptional drought conditions, and that is expected to continue and expand according to NOAA’s U.S. Spring Outlook released today. Drier conditions in the Southwest U.S. associated with La Niña and the failed 2020 summer monsoon have been contributing factors to the development and intensification of what represents the most significant U.S. spring drought since 2013, which will impact approximately 74 million people. ... ” Read more from NOAA here: Spring Outlook: Drought to persist, expand in U.S. West and High Plains
America’s drinking water is surprisingly easy to poison
“On Feb. 16, less than two weeks after a mysterious attacker made headlines around the world by hacking a water treatment plant in Oldsmar, Florida, and nearly generating a mass poisoning, the city’s mayor declared victory. “This is a success story,” Mayor Eric Seidel told the City Council in Oldsmar, a Tampa suburb of 15,000, after acknowledging “some deficiencies.” As he put it, “our protocols, monitoring protocols, worked. Our staff executed them to perfection. And as the city manager said, there were other backups. … We were breached, there’s no question. And we’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again. But it’s a success story.” Two council members congratulated the mayor, noting his turn at the press conference where the hack was disclosed. “Even on TV, you were fantastic,” said one. … ” Read more from Circle of Blue here: America’s drinking water is surprisingly easy to poison
Weeks after winter storm, water crisis lingers for one city
“The powerful winter storm in mid-February that generated a week’s worth of national headlines focused on the widespread power outages that smothered Texas. However, while the rest of the world shifted its gaze from the storm back to the topics of politics, the coronavirus and even the Golden Globes, people in one hard-hit part of the country haven’t been able to move on yet. They also haven’t been able to shower, flush toilets or drink water straight from the tap. For residents of Jackson, Mississippi, the lingering effects of February’s winter storm not only outlasted February, but they will likely outlast winter itself. ... ” Read more from AccuWeather here: Weeks after winter storm, water crisis lingers for one city
Drought may lead to elevated levels of naturally occurring arsenic in private domestic wells
“A new U.S. Geological Survey study highlights the importance of homeowners testing their well water to ensure it is safe for consumption, particularly in drought-prone areas. The first-of-its-kind national-scale study of private well water, conducted in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, showed that drought may lead to elevated levels of naturally occurring arsenic and that the longer a drought lasts, the higher the probability of arsenic concentrations exceeding U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standard for drinking water. Researchers estimate that during drought conditions, 4.1 million people in the lower 48 states who use private domestic wells are potentially exposed to unsafe levels of arsenic. This is an increase of 54% from the estimated 2.7 million people exposed to unhealthy arsenic levels in private wells during normal, non-drought conditions. … ” Read more from the USGS here: Drought may lead to elevated levels of naturally occurring arsenic in private domestic wells
Senate hearing highlights role of ag in mitigating climate change
“Agricultural industry members recently testified at a Senate hearing about the value that farming can provide in addressing climate concerns. Members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry heard from producers about climate efforts already underway within the industry. The hearing, Farmers and Foresters: Opportunities to Lead in Tackling Climate Change, addressed ways agriculture can continue contributing to climate efforts. … ” Read more from Ag Net West here: Senate hearing highlights role of ag in mitigating climate change
Tracking Biden’s first 100 days: UCLA experts assess progress on environmental issues
“UCLA environmental law and climate change experts have seen positive developments under President Joe Biden. Now, halfway through his first 100 days, they’re weighing in on what his administration has already accomplished and keeping a close eye on what’s to come. Professors from the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, UCLA School of Law and UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs note that Biden already has led the U.S. back into the Paris climate agreement, formed a National Climate Task Force and appointed climate advocates to leadership positions in federal agencies, among other actions. But with narrow Democratic majorities in Congress and a conservative Supreme Court, it won’t be easy for the administration to implement its full environmental agenda, UCLA faculty say. … ” Read more from UCLA here: Tracking Biden’s first 100 days: UCLA experts assess progress on environmental issues
One of Biden’s biggest climate change challenges? The oceans
“A few years ago, marine biologist Kyle Van Houtan spotted an online video that he couldn’t quite believe. It showed a young great white shark, about five-feet long, swimming just off a pier in Central California. “Our initial reaction was that it can’t be true,” Van Houtan says. “We know that they’re in Southern California and Mexico, not in Monterey.” When they’re young, white sharks typically live in the warm waters of Southern California, hundreds of miles from the cold, rough surf up north off Monterey. Still, the shark in the video wouldn’t be the only one to appear. Since 2014, young white sharks have been arriving off Monterey in greater numbers. ... ” Read more from KUOW here: One of Biden’s biggest climate change challenges? The oceans
NASA Snow Report …
20210313_RT_SWE_ReportToday’s featured articles …
SF ESTUARY & WATERSHED SCIENCE JOURNAL: Delta smelt population dynamics models; Delta smelt entrainment; Detecting juvenile chinook salmon; and more …
In this issue:
- Statistical Evaluation of Behavior and Population Dynamic Models Predicting Movement and Proportional Entrainment Loss of Adult Delta Smelt in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta
- Leveraging Delta Smelt Monitoring for Detecting Juvenile Chinook Salmon in the San Francisco Estuary
- Modeling Delta Smelt Distribution for Hypothesized Swimming Behaviors
- Evaluating the Role of Boat Electrofishing in Fish Monitoring of the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta
- Re-Examining Factors That Affect Delta Smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) Entrainment at the State Water Project and Central Valley Project in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta
Access all articles by clicking here.
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Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
WATER PLAN eNEWS: ~~ CalGW Update~ Resources Hub~ Reporting Problems~ Water Loss~ AWE Newsletter~ Tools Webpage ~~
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: USDA Seeks Innovative Partner-led Projects Delivering Sustainable Agricultural Solutions
