WEEKLY WATER NEWS DIGEST for Feb. 6-11: Protecting water quality while recharging aquifers; Delta Watermaster Report; plus all the top California water news of the week ~ MAVEN'S NOTEBOOK

A wrap-up of posts published on Maven’s Notebook this week …

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This week’s featured articles …

SUSTAINABLE CONSERVATION: Protecting Water Quality While Recharging Aquifers

Over 600,000 Californians rely on nitrate-contaminated public supply wells for their household water needs. However, those numbers are even greater as they don’t include the many others who struggle with contaminated groundwater from domestic wells. Balancing long-term groundwater sustainability and water quality will help California weather future droughts, ensure safe drinking water, and support our thriving agricultural community that feeds the nation.

One tool for groundwater sustainability is groundwater recharge, where water is intentionally spread on the ground and allowed to infiltrate into the underlying aquifer. However, there is much concern that groundwater recharge can increase water quality issues, especially when the recharge water is spread upon agricultural lands.

In November of 2021, Sustainable Conservation held a webinar featuring a panel of experts who discussed how California can work to replenish our aquifers while protecting water quality for the health of our communities.

Click here to read this post.

DELTA WATERMASTER: Curtailment/Reporting Orders in the Delta; Delta Alternative Compliance Plan; Pilot Program for Water Conservation and Quality Protection in the Delta; and more …

At the January meeting of the Delta Stewardship Council, Delta Watermaster Michael George updated the Council on curtailment and reporting orders in the Delta, the implementation of the Delta Alternative Compliance Plan for measuring diversions in the Delta; a pilot program for water conservation and quality protection in the Delta; building capacity within the Delta; and a status update on water quality control planning for the Delta watershed.

Click here to read this article.

RISING VOICES: Water, power and the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy

Each month, the Water Hub is checking in with advocates and organizers in California to talk about the water issues impacting local communities. With Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) extending the moratorium on utility shut-offs through March 2022, we spoke with Kameron Hurt about drought impacts in LA, the importance of water and power as a human right, and how Repower LA is working to protect Los Angeleans from the burden of utility debt.

Click here to read this article.

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In California water news this week …

As drought continues, Southern California offers millions to buy Sacramento Valley water

“The drought drags on, and the thirsty residents of Southern California are preparing again to spend heavily to buy water from the farm fields of the Sacramento Valley. The board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California directed its staff Tuesday to start negotiating the purchases of as much as 100,000 acre-feet of water from the Valley — deals that would be worth millions of dollars. Metropolitan has bought water from Northern California in eight of the past 16 years. The purchases can be a sensitive point in farm country, where water sales will result in fewer acres of crop grown and damage done to the local economy. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: As drought continues, Southern California offers millions to buy Sacramento Valley water

California is heading underground to explore its biggest water storage potential

“The winter whiplash continues to challenge water managers and with climate trends showing more of this boom or bust pattern, the state is rethinking its water supply system. Now the state wants to head underground to explore what could be its biggest water storage potential. Steve Springhorn is part of the California Department of Water Resources team analyzing where water can be stored underground. He says there are over 500 underground water basins in our state that are really important to the state’s water supply. Up until now, the mapping has been somewhat limited. But a new program called Aerial Electromagnetic Survey is helping to fill in the gaps. … ” Continue reading at Channel 10 here: California is heading underground to explore its biggest water storage potential

DWR takes next steps towards groundwater sustainability

“California has reached a major milestone in its implementation of the landmark Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has completed the official assessments for the first-ever groundwater sustainability plans developed by local agencies and submitted in 2020 to set and achieve sustainability goals over a 20-year period. This milestone is the result of a lot of hard work by local agencies, backed by state investments to support local SGMA decision-making and implementation efforts. The department has completed assessments for 20 groundwater basins, containing a total of 42 plans, including critically overdrafted basins that provide water supply for millions of Californians, agriculture and the environment. … ” Continue reading from DWR here: DWR takes next steps towards groundwater sustainability

Could solar development advance groundwater sustainability in the San Joaquin Valley?

“The San Joaquin Valley is facing a monumental shift in land use over the next two decades. Two important but seemingly unrelated laws are driving the change: the 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which aims to bring groundwater basins into balance by the early 2040s, and SB 100, which intends to help California achieve 100% clean power statewide by 2045. SGMA may require fallowing at least 500,000 acres of cropland in the San Joaquin Valley (10%) by 2040. A significant expansion of solar energy production to meet SB 100 goals, on the other hand, will demand a large amount of land. Promoting solar expansion on fallowed farmland in the San Joaquin Valley could support two major objectives at once: supporting the state’s clean energy goals while easing the economic pain of transitioning some land away from agriculture. … ” Read more from the PPIC here: Could solar development advance groundwater sustainability in the San Joaquin Valley?

A first-in-the-nation project to put solar panels over canals begins near Turlock

“A small portion of Turlock Irrigation District’s canals will be part of a first-of-its-kind project that puts solar panels over canals. “On its surface, it’s putting solar panels over canals, right? Not necessarily groundbreaking, however, this is the first type of project in California… this is really a groundbreaking project and the first in the nation,” said Josh Weimer, External Affairs director for TID. The project is formally known as Project Nexus. It follows research out of UC Merced that studied how putting solar panels over canals could net some positive impacts for the state. During the project, TID will have their eyes on water evaporation, improvements to water quality, canal maintenance and renewable energy generation. … ” Read more from Channel 10 here: A first-in-the-nation project to put solar panels over canals begins near Turlock

SEE ALSO:

Innovative Solar Project Awarded State Funds: DWR Funds Turlock Irrigation District to Install Solar Panels Over Canals, press release from DWR
Turlock Irrigation District selected to pilot first–in–the–nation water–energy nexus project involving solar panels over canals, press release from Turlock Irrigation District
Solar-paneled Canals Getting a Test Run in San Joaquin Valley, from UC Merced

Pilot project to return salmon to their historical habitat above Shasta Dam receives initial funding

“The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) today announced that the Department of Water Resources (DWR) will receive $1.5 million in funding for the Juvenile Salmonid Collection System Pilot Project in the McCloud Arm of Shasta reservoir. This project is the first test of a collection system that would be an integral part of reintroducing endangered winter-run Chinook salmon and other runs of salmon to their historical habitat. “The time for action is now; winter-run Chinook salmon need access to their historical spawning habitat,” said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. … ” Read more from the Department of Fish and Wildlife here: Pilot project to return salmon to their historical habitat above Shasta Dam receives initial funding

Amid worsening drought, lawmakers call for implementation of overdue water storage projects

“As California faces ongoing severe drought conditions, lawmakers are urging immediate action to implement billions in funding already approved by voters to build new water storage and maintain existing infrastructure. The projects have been beset by bureaucratic obstructionism for decades, Sen. Jim Nielsen, R – Red Bluff, vice chair of the Senate Budget Committee, told the Northern California Record. “And state government – legislative and executive – has been unwilling to do anything decisive about water supplies,” Nielsen said. “Now we’re in another drought and we have not increased our capacity for more storage; we have not maintained or improved existing storage.” … ” Read more from the Northern California Record here: Amid worsening drought, lawmakers call for implementation of overdue water storage projects

Commentary: Calif. voters backed $7.5bil bond for dams. Here’s where things stand 7 years later

Teresa Alvarado and Matthew Swanson, Chair and Vice Chair of the California Water Commission, write, “In November 2014, California voters approved Proposition 1: The Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act. The $7.5 billion bond dedicated $2.7 billion for the public benefits of new water storage projects. Some ask, “Why have no new reservoirs been built in the seven years since?” Rest assured, there are projects in the works. All recently passed a key milestone and are moving forward. Any large-scale water storage project is complex and requires a high degree of planning, engineering, coordination — and significant financing. The California Water Commission has actively overseen the proposed projects over the past six years to help ensure they meet statutory requirements, progress at the rate dictated by the bond legislation, and meet the public benefits promised to voters. … ” Continue reading at the San Joaquin Valley Sun here: Calif. voters backed $7.5bil bond for dams. Here’s where things stand 7 years later

Dahle: State grants incentivize farmers to leave

“A budget subcommittee for the state Senate on Wednesday held a hearing to review several drought items within the governor’s initial budget proposal. Republican Sen. Brian Dahle of Bieber pushed back once again on measures he viewed as driving businesses out of California. He took aim at a program for repurposing fallowed farmland for ecosystem restoration and other conservation goals in the wake of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. “We cannot just continue to pay farmers to leave,” said Dahle. “It’s basically giving them money so they can go to some other state where there’s water, and that land will be idle.” … ” Read more from Agri-Pulse here: Dahle: State grants incentivize farmers to leave

Holland & Knight represents disadvantaged communities in lawsuit over access to water

“Holland & Knight is representing a group of prominent civil rights leaders in asking a federal judge to allow them to join a lawsuit involving access to water for disadvantaged communities in California. Holland & Knight filed the motion to intervene in the case on behalf of Groundswell, a coalition of civil rights, affordable housing and environmental justice advocates. … Groundswell is seeking to intervene in a pending federal lawsuit filed by three environmental groups against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) (Center for Biological Diversity et. al v. United States Bureau of Land Management et. al, Case No.: 2:21-cv-02507-GW-AS). The lawsuit seeks to stop development of a water infrastructure project that would convert a dormant natural gas pipeline to transport water and allow that water to be delivered to communities in Central and Southern California. … ” Continue reading from Holland & Knight here: Holland & Knight represents disadvantaged communities in lawsuit over access to water

Merced County almond farmer settles with EPA over Clean Water Act violations

“An almond farmer in Merced County has been ordered to pay $212,000 in fines and to restore and preserve wetland habitat for violating the Clean Water Act, Environmental Protection Agency officials said. Officials with the agency’s Pacific Southwest Office in San Francisco announced the settlement with farmer Edmund Lynn Brown on Tuesday. According to court documents, Brown operates the 850 acre Bird Ranch north of Merced. … ” Read more from CBS San Francisco here: Merced County almond farmer settles with EPA over Clean Water Act violations

California Water Board assures the public that oil wastewater is safe for irrigation, but experts say the evidence is scant

“After years of controversy, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board assured the public in the fall that eating California crops grown with oil field wastewater “creates no identifiable increased health risks,” based on studies commissioned as part of an extensive Food Safety Project. Yet a review of the science and interviews with a public health scientist affiliated with the project and other experts show that there is scant evidence to support the board’s safety claims. The “neutral, third-party consultant” the board retained to conduct the studies, GSI Environmental, has regularly worked for the oil industry. That work includes marshaling evidence to help Chevron, Kern County’s biggest provider of produced water, and other oil giants defend their interests in high-stakes lawsuits around the country and globe. … ” Read more from Inside Climate News here: California Water Board assures the public that oil wastewater is safe for irrigation, but experts say the evidence is scant

Legal journal: California’s Constitutional Right to Fish

“Many states recognize public rights to use public and private property for recreation, hunting, fishing, and navigation, challenging contemporary views of the right to exclude. These public use rights are enshrined in state constitutions, statutes, or the common law. Public use rights are similar to public trust rights, but use rights are generally broader and are not constrained by the public trust’s weaknesses. Analysis of public use rights often conflates these rights with public trust rights, resulting in confusion and reduced protection for public use rights. Recognizing public use rights as something apart from the public trust doctrine is key to protecting them, but little scholarship addresses the issue. This Article demonstrates that California’s constitutional right to fish is a public use right distinct from the public trust doctrine, and mistaking California’s constitutional right to fish for a traditional public trust fishing protection has weakened the fishing right. This work has broad ramifications for efforts to vindicate public use rights. … ” Read the article at Lewis & Clark Law School Environmental Law Review here: California’s Constitutional Right to Fish

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In commentary this week …

Dan Walters: Erratic weather requires new water policy approach

“What happened — or didn’t — weatherwise during the last two months starkly reminds us of the erratic nature of California’s vital water supply. After months of severe drought, the state saw record-shattering storms in December, creating a hefty mountain snowpack while replenishing seriously depleted reservoirs. But January, historically a month of heavy precipitation, was bone-dry. With climate change, California’s wet periods have become briefer, albeit sometimes more intense, and the dry periods have become longer, making the state’s elaborate water storage and conveyance systems less able to cope with precipitation patterns. … ” Read more from Cal Matters here: Dan Walters: Erratic weather requires new water policy approach

It’s time to use our budget surplus on water projects

State Senator Shannon Grove writes, “Few people in this state would disagree that improving the management of California’s water supply should be a priority. Clean water is vital for our health, the environment and the economy. When people disagree on water issues, it is usually on how to improve water quality. I would argue that better management includes increasing above- and below-ground storage and modernizing conveyance infrastructure. We must get beyond the extremes of some eco-warriors that a robust system of reservoirs and canals is a no-go. Such long-needed infrastructure is as much a part of the solution as is conservation, technological innovation, and better management of the flows from winter rains and spring snowmelt. … ” Read more from Ag Alert here: It’s time to use our budget surplus on water projects

Calif. voters backed $7.5bil bond for dams. Here’s where things stand 7 years later

Forget new dams. A healthy aquifer is better for family farms and the environment

Doug Maner, a retired Modesto criminal lawyer, writes, “Most of the people who fight over water fall into two categories: Water users and water protectors. The opposing sides really have more in common that they might believe. Agricultural water users enjoy and appreciate our natural world, and revel in its beauty. Environmentalists eat the beef, poultry, salad and nuts the water users grow, and have no problems with family farms and small businesses. A third voice in California’s water wars is the richest and most powerful. Big agribusiness has a totally different goal than your local farmer, rancher, or environmentalist. Their motive is profit. … ” Read more from the Modesto Bee here: Forget new dams. A healthy aquifer is better for family farms and the environment

Column: Theft of Calif. water is occurring behind mountains of paperwork. Why we need to stop it.

Columnist Wayne Western, Jr. writes, “As Californians, we get our water via three places: underground aquifers (wells), the State Water Project, or the Central Valley Project. Water for more than two-thirds of California’s entire population of almost 40 million people and millions of acres of farmland flows through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in the Bay Area. Almost 90 percent of the rain and snow falls in northern California while 80 percent of water consumption is south of the Delta. This 80% of consumption includes millions of people, not just farmers. It underscores an old saying about California’s water wars: Northern California has most of the water, Southern California needs most of the Water, and Northern California knows it. But, farmers have had their water redirected for other purposes for decades, more than any other water user. … ” Continue reading at the San Joaquin Valley Sun here: Theft of Calif. water is occurring behind mountains of paperwork. Why we need to stop it.

Column: Want to conserve water and make clean energy? Build more solar farms in San Joaquin Valley

Columnist George Skelton writes, “One surefire formula for making clean energy is lots of sun and less hay. Or fewer tomatoes and — heaven forbid — a reduction in almonds. Plow over some San Joaquin Valley croplands and plant solar panels. Turn alfalfa fields and nut orchards into solar farms. That would have a double benefit. Besides producing carbon-free electricity, it would save lots of scarce irrigation water. And it would keep the valley’s abused aquifers from dropping further, drying up wells and sinking land while cracking canals and bridges. ... ” Read more from the LA Times here: Column: Want to conserve water and make clean energy? Build more solar farms in San Joaquin Valley

Protect the Eastern Sierra from industrial gold mining

Kris Hohag, a citizen of the Bishop Paiute Tribe and senior organizing representative at the Sierra Club, writes, “You probably haven’t visited Conglomerate Mesa in the Eastern Sierra. I hadn’t until about two years ago. This place – notoriously difficult to access – holds an important history to my people, the Bishop Paiute Tribe, along with neighboring tribes. Like most people who are fortunate enough to visit this beautiful swath of land, I was left profoundly touched. It is rugged, remote and dramatically beautiful. It sits between Mt. Whitney – the highest point in the continental U.S. – and Death Valley – the lowest, and represents the breadth of beauty of this country. But the Conglomerate Mesa is at risk. While my community and I see this as a land inextricably tied to our past and our legacy, exploratory mining companies see it as a place to be exploited for financial gains. … ” Read more from Cal Matters here: Protect the Eastern Sierra from industrial gold mining

California must act to save the Southern steelhead from extinction

Russell Marlow, California Trout’s South Coast senior program manager, and Sandra Jacobson, director of the South Coast Region of California Trout, write, “In a black and white photo dated 1912, two men suspend a pole from which more than a dozen footlong Southern California steelhead hang. The image echoes the oral tradition of the Chumash Tribes, which speaks of steelhead as an abundant food source, and provides additional proof that these iconic fish were once plentiful in Southern California’s coastal rivers and streams. But due to the ongoing destruction of steelhead habitat, compounded by predation by and competition from non-native species and disease, Southern steelhead face likely extinction within the next 25 years. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune here: California must act to save the Southern steelhead from extinction

Urban waters deserve our care and protection

“My name is Jonathan Hardman, I’m a 16-year-old from Berkeley, California. Fishing and the outdoors have been the most central part of my life since the very beginning. My grandfather taught me to love and appreciate the natural world when I was just a toddler. From fishing in lakes in upstate New York to creeks and ponds in southern Maine, he taught me how to fish for sunfish and smallmouth bass, as well as the importance of proper fish handling, sustainable harvesting, and catch and release practices. This early exposure to fishing allowed me to teach myself to fish on the west coast, starting in the San Francisco Bay. … ” Read more from Cal Trout here: Urban waters deserve our care and protection

Seems like nothing changes in documenting water availability

Jan McCleery, former president of Save the California Delta Alliance, writes, “Re “Here is the first step to a sustainable water policy”; Commentary, Jan. 26, 2022: Good commentary and on the mark. But it’s discouraging to say that documenting the actual amount of water available is the first step to a sustainable water policy. This is the same step people have been saying for the 10 or more years that I’ve been tracking these issues. … ” Read more from Cal Matters here: Seems like nothing changes in documenting water availability

Should the Central Valley remain dependent solely on agriculture?

Cary D. Lowe, a retired land use lawyer and planning consultant, writes, “Re “Comparative stats of ag and water use strikes a nerve”; Commentary, Reader Reaction, Feb. 3, 2022. The writer’s defense of agricultural water use only makes sense if you believe the economy and the environment will never change. Arguing that the Central Valley must remain dependent solely on agriculture, with its accompanying current level of water use, is equivalent to arguing that Appalachian coal miners can’t transition to other forms of employment and shouldn’t need to. ... ” Read more from Cal Matters here: Should the Central Valley remain dependent solely on agriculture?

Answering agriculture’s critics

American Farm Bureau president Zippy Duvall writes, “I’m a big believer in taking the high road. When media present inaccurate or incomplete portrayals of U.S. agriculture, my job and the job of Farm Bureau is to help them understand where they went wrong and to set the record straight. We had our work cut out for us with a recent New York Times opinion video. It was so disappointing to see a respected media outlet present a distorted picture of agriculture without so much as acknowledging that farmers play an essential role in stocking America’s pantries. AFBF jumped into action. We drafted a response and had a productive conversation with decisionmakers there, but unfortunately, they declined to accept my guest essay, which provides a more complete and honest picture of agriculture. What a disservice to their readers and to the disappearing tradition of honest debate. So, I’ll use my own platform to share my response. … ” Continue reading at the American Farm Bureau here: Answering agriculture’s critics

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In regional water news this week …

A model for the future: “Pilot” White Slough Tidal Wetlands Restoration Project – first of its kind in Humboldt Bay

“A multitude of benefits and a model for the future. That’s the result of the recently completed White Slough Tidal Wetlands Restoration Project. In addition to being the first project in Humboldt Bay to tackle a failing levee, sea level rise and the loss of important habitat by improving infrastructure, the White Slough “proof of concept” project provides a resilient living shoreline and flood protection for ranchlands and roads (as a part of US-101). This pilot project would become a team effort, spanning five years, two project leaders, three project managers and many other dedicated professionals. The project consists of 41 acres on the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge and is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It began in 2014 shortly after a tide breached the dike in the area, threatening to convert critical marshland to mudflats. … ” Read more from the US Fish & Wildlife Service here: A model for the future: “Pilot” White Slough Tidal Wetlands Restoration Project – first of its kind in Humboldt Bay

Tuscan Water District wins approval

“A controversial water district in northwestern Butte County has been approved to go to a vote of landowners within its boundaries. The Tuscan Water District encompasses the Sacramento Valley floor from the Tehama and Glenn county lines, south and east to the Western Canal District and into Butte Valley. California Water Service’s Chico Division and the M&T Ranch are not included. The 102,327-acre district was approved by an unanimous vote of the Butte Local Agency Formation Commission at its meeting last week. LAFCo is the entity that determines boundaries between government agencies, including creation or dissolution of special districts. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: Tuscan Water District wins approval

Groundwater ‘bank’ can store twice as much water as Folsom Lake

“Feb. 7 marks 31 days in a row without measurable rainfall in Sacramento and the surrounding region. Remarkably, rainfall totals since Oct. 1, the start of the water year, are still above average for all major reporting sites. But just barely. Northern California lucked out with a major storm at the end of October and a very active storm pattern in December. But in a long-standing drought, luck alone won’t cut it. That’s why water managers have spent the last two decades building up a new concept for storing water as a way to build drought and climate change resiliency for the region. It’s called the Sacramento Regional Water Bank, and it is already being used to benefit residents. ... ” Continue reading from KCRA Channel 3 here: Groundwater ‘bank’ can store twice as much water as Folsom Lake

Weather whiplash’ brings challenges to the American River this winter

“Winter is historically a time of relative ease for American River salmon and steelhead. The punishing dry months of summer and fall are in the past, and winter storms have returned to cool down water temperatures and provide adequate flow for feeding and spawning. That hasn’t necessarily been the case this winter, which now presents our native fish with a number of new challenges. In the 2022 water year so far, the river has been hit with a double-whammy of big storms first in October, then in December. January was especially dry, and there is no precipitation in the near-term forecast for February. Meanwhile, in the river, adult steelhead and fall-run Chinook salmon are setting up nests (known as redds), as the spawning and incubation season begins. … ” Read more from the Water Forum here: Weather whiplash’ brings challenges to the American River this winter

As Valley Water makes progress at Anderson Dam, the project increases in size and cost

“The seismic retrofit of Anderson Dam is Valley Water’s top priority. It will help us protect our regional water supply, ensure public safety, and provide environmental benefits. Since conducting a groundbreaking ceremony in the summer of 2021, great strides have been made in phase one of the project. As of January 2022, almost 9% of the Anderson Dam Tunnel Project work has been completed. A new tunnel will allow Valley Water to better maintain water levels in Santa Clara County’s largest reservoir. Excavation work and improvements to make the ground around the tunnel more stable are currently underway. Work in recent months has also established project site offices, staging areas, security fencing, lighting, temporary utilities, and the installation of devices that monitor the ground around the tunnel itself. … ” Read more from Valley Water News here: As Valley Water makes progress at Anderson Dam, the project increases in size and cost

Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority takes legal action to collect high fees

“In an effort to collect an unprecedentedly high groundwater replenishment fee, the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority (IWVGA) has sued Mojave Pistachios, LLC, an action that effectively will put the nut grower out of business. “To use the SGMA process to target farmers with economically impossible fees threatens the larger implementation of SGMA itself. This reckless and punitive assault on farmers under the guise of SGMA’s mandates will dangerously erode confidence in the state’s implementation of SGMA among farmers in other basins. That poses a real threat of increased conflict rather than the collaborative management approach that was explicitly woven into SGMA,” said Dave Puglia, Western Growers President and CEO. … ” Continue reading this press release from Mojave Pistachios here: Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority takes legal action to collect high fees

Onyx River Project set to be implemented in Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water District

“With the Onyx River Project soon being implemented in the Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water District (RRBWSD), general manager and engineer Dan Bartell said this will change the points of diversion and place of use for the 1914 water rights so that water can be delivered in the area on the San Joaquin Valley floor and used for irrigation and groundwater storage. The project, purchasing 3,300 acres of property east of Lake Isabella, will bring together private property sellers in Kern River Valley and landowners in RRBWSD to ensure a continued beneficial use of water in the county. It will also mitigate water lost as a result of environmental restriction in the Delta, the RRBWSD website states. … ” Read more from the Kern Valley Sun here: Onyx River Project set to be implemented in Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water District

‘We no longer have a fire season. We have a fire year.’ Heat, winds fuel two winter blazes in Southern California

“Driven by unseasonable heat and gusty Santa Ana winds, two Southern California fires Thursday brought acrid smoke, evacuation orders and flaming fronts — harbingers of a difficult fire year for the parched region. In Orange County, residents of an affluent community awoke to evacuations spurred by the Emerald fire. No homes were damaged, but authorities warned that ideal fire conditions were expected to persist through the weekend. And they also worried about what the coming months could bring. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: ‘We no longer have a fire season. We have a fire year.’ Heat, winds fuel two winter blazes in Southern California

Arrowhead water: BlueTriton hearing continues with testimony from members of the public

“After seven years of researching Nestle’s — and now successor company BlueTriton’s — water rights in San Bernardino National Forest, Redlands resident Amanda Frye made her case last Monday. Her research included trips to the National Archives in Perris and the San Bernardino County Hall of Records, countless hours of online archival research, and years of hiking in Strawberry Canyon. “The evidence reflects that BlueTriton has neither valid water rights nor authorized diversion permits in the Strawberry Creek headwaters… BlueTriton and their predecessors’ unauthorized diversions in the Strawberry Creek headwaters have negatively impacted Strawberry Creek, the Forest and the people of California,” Frye said on Monday. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun here: Arrowhead water: BlueTriton hearing continues with testimony from members of the public

‘We are absolutely gobsmacked that they would think this would be possible here’ | Group opposes $1.5B San Vicente Energy Storage Facility Project

“The City of San Diego and the San Diego County Water Authority are planning to develop the San Vicente Energy Storage Facility Project. The proposed hydro energy storage facility at the San Vicente Reservoir could generate enough energy for about 135,000 households. … The estimated cost is $1.5 billion. “Who is going to be stuck with the $1.5 billion cost? We are absolutely gobsmacked that they would think this would be possible here,” said Diane Conklin, the leader of the Mussey Grade Road Alliance, a conservation group based in Ramona. ... ” Read more from Channel 8 here: ‘We are absolutely gobsmacked that they would think this would be possible here’ | Group opposes $1.5B San Vicente Energy Storage Facility Project

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