On the calendar today …
- MEETING: Meeting Notice Delta Plan Interagency Implementation Committee Restoration Subcommittee Meeting from 1pm to 3pm. Agenda items include Delta Plan Chapter 4 Ecosystem Amendment Overview; Delta Restoration Forum; and the DPIIC Restoration Subcommittee Workplan. Click here for the full agenda and remote access instructions.
In California water news today …
Debate grows over parched California’s thirsty crops
“It’s just 9 in the morning in eastern Riverside County’s Palo Verde Valley and farmer Jack Seiler’s workday is already half finished. He stopped to scrutinize a bushy shrub of cotton that he is cultivating in Blythe. In this desert farming community on the Arizona border, daytime temperatures routinely exceed 100 degrees and that’s no problem for these crops. Another crop that can thrive in extreme heat? Afalfa. Alfalfa is what dairy cows eat and California is big in dairy production. Dairy products and milk are valuable commodities, pulling in close to $7.5 billion per year but, in a drought, many people question whether crops like alfalfa should be grown here. … ” Read the full story at CBS Bay Area here: Debate grows over parched California’s thirsty crops
You can’t always get what you want – A Mick Jagger theory of drought management
Jay Lund writes, “The ongoing California drought has many lessons for water managers and policy-makers. Perhaps the greatest lesson is how unimportant a drought can be if we manage water well. For the last two years, California lost about 33% of its normal water supply due to drought, but from a statewide perspective saw statistically undetectable losses of jobs and economic production, despite often severe local effects. Agricultural production, about 2% of California’s economy, was harder hit, fallowing about 6% of irrigated land, and reducing net revenues by 3% and employment by 10,000 jobs from what it would have been without drought. Yet, high commodity prices and continued shifts to higher valued crops (such as almonds, with more jobs per acre) raised statewide agricultural employment slightly and raised overall revenues for agriculture to record levels in 2014 (the latest year with state statistics). ... ” Read more from the California Water Blog here: You can’t always get what you want – A Mick Jagger theory of drought management
California to install solar panels over canals to fight drought, a first in the U.S.
“In an effort to combat the devastating drought conditions hitting California, the Golden State will become the first in the nation to install solar panel canopies over canals. The $20 million pilot project funded by the state has been dubbed “Project Nexus.” It will consist of an estimated 8,500 feet of solar panels installed over three sections of Turlock Irrigation District (TID) canals in Central California. It is expected to break ground in the fall, and be completed by 2023. The project was first announced back in February. … ” Read more from CBS News here: California to install solar panels over canals to fight drought, a first in the U.S.
California Drought: Folsom Lake’s water level drops as Lake Mead’s rises
California Drought: As Folsom Lake’s water level drops, Lake Mead’s is growing. It’s a very different drought monitor for California as compared to neighboring Nevada.
Safe in a small place: Estuary MPAs home to salmonids
“The establishment of California’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in 2012 was a crucial step for conserving and protecting vital habitats, not only for marine, but also freshwater species. MPAs are areas with permanent legal protections that aim to conserve critical natural resources. The restrictions within MPA’s vary, but include a limit or ban on the harvest or take of some or all resources. MPAs exist within estuaries and marine areas that have been identified as essential habitat for a variety of wildlife, including salmon and steelhead. Salmon and steelhead depend heavily on estuaries as juveniles, where they rear in the food-rich and protected estuary environment. By lingering in estuaries, these two critical fish species increase their chances of survival upon entering the ocean. … ” Continue reading at Fish Bio here: Safe in a Small Place: Estuary MPAs Home to Salmonids
Supreme Court corrects Butte County opinion’s CEQA misstatement in response to counsel’s letter
“At its weekly conference held on August 24, 2022, the California Supreme Court acted to modify its recent majority opinion in County of Butte v. Department of Water Resources (State Water Contractors) (2022) ___ Cal.5th ___, Case No. S258574. In granting the request, made in a letter signed by a number of leading CEQA practitioners, for modification to correct an erroneous statement in its opinion about required topics of EIR discussion, the Supreme Court issued an “Order Modifying Opinion” stating … The majority opinion in this case, filed on August 1, 2022, and appearing at ___ Cal.5th ___, is modified as follows … ” Read more from Miller Starr Regalia here: Supreme Court corrects Butte County opinion’s CEQA misstatement in response to counsel’s letter
Cannabis industry inches toward sustainability
“Cannabis growers in the US are under increased scrutiny for straining the electric grid. They have been blamed for water shortages in California and Oregon. They face complaints about the plant’s strong skunk-like odor and potential to lower air quality. The industry also generates a growing amount of waste, including paper and plastic consumer packaging and electronic waste from vaping devices. But data on energy and water use, air emissions, and waste from the cannabis industry are limited. A small fraction of the US industry is embracing the opportunity to fill those data gaps and address problem areas. A few state regulators are also stepping in to address concerns about air quality and energy use. And academics are relying on bootstrapped funding to conduct energy-efficiency research. … ” Read more from Chemical & Engineering News here: Cannabis industry inches toward sustainability
Intense, prolonged heat wave set to roast the West
“In recent days and weeks, many of the Western states have avoided prolonged periods of intense heat that have been common this summer as the frequent rainfall and humidity provided by the North American monsoon have helped keep temperatures in check across the region. However, AccuWeather meteorologists expect a sharp pattern change to occur this week and usher in much higher temperatures. … ” Read more from AccuWeather here: Intense, prolonged heat wave set to roast the West
Why suppressing wildfires may be making the Western fire crisis worse
“Jason Fischer watches a firefighting chopper scoop a big bucket of water out of the Klamath River, as it douses hotspots on the McKinney Fire in remote Northern California. The flames threatening his sixth-generation cattle farm, Fischer looks across the narrow river canyon at a steep, charred mountainside. All the trees are blackened silhouettes. His face twists into a scowl. “This whole fire we knew … it was a bomb,” he says. The last time the forests on the other side of the river burned was the Haystack Fire in 1955. “And after that, they never did anything to manage the land, so all that grew back was brush,” Fischer says. “The brush was 10 feet high, so one little spark when it’s 113 degrees outside.” Fischer’s frustration is one you hear a lot in this corner of the West, especially where the timber industry — once mighty — has largely shut down. The forests are neglected, not being managed, the saying goes. Environmental laws prevent them from being thinned or logged. … ” Read more from Capital Public Radio here: Why suppressing wildfires may be making the Western fire crisis worse
As forests go up in smoke, so will California’s climate plan
“When lightning ignited the bone-dry foothills of the Sierra Nevada last year, forestry crews fanned out across Sequoia National Park to defend an ancient grove of California redwoods from wildfire. As smoke wafted through a forest of giant sequoias, a dozen crew members surrounded the gargantuan, 36-foot-wide trunk of General Sherman — the world’s largest living tree — and wrapped its base with massive sheets of fire-resistant fabric. The rescue was a stark acknowledgement that California wildfires are burning faster and hotter than ever before, and now threaten a species that had adapted comfortably to the fires of a previous age. “I think if you told someone 30 years ago that we were going to do that they would have thought you’re insane. I mean, the bark on the trees is 12 to 18 inches thick,” said Christy Brigham, chief of resources management and science at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. “But it’s becoming more common as an emergency.” … ” Read more from the LA Times here: As forests go up in smoke, so will California’s climate plan
In commentary today …
Californians want water rights reform
Kate Poole, Senior Director of the Water Division, NRDC’s Nature Program, writes, “Even the most casual observer of western water recognizes that a long-delayed reckoning is coming on the Colorado River, with significant water cuts looming for those who divert water from the River. The same crisis is unfolding in a less visible way in California’s Bay-Delta estuary, the main hub for the state’s vast water supply system and the largest estuary on the west coast of the Americas. Like the Colorado River, water diversions in California are built on a foundation of consistently extracting more water than Nature provides. California’s appropriative water rights system (“first in time, first in right”) currently determines the winners and losers as our water supply shrinks in the face of climate change. Without reform, California’s system means that the most senior water rights holders – those who declared the water theirs during the violent and exclusionary settling of California in the late 1800s, early 1900s, predominantly irrigation districts – get first claim to the available water, while water for people to drink and bathe and water for the environment only get the leftovers. … ” Continue reading at the NRDC here: Californians want water rights reform
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Big win for endangered Klamath Basin fish in first round of federal funding
“Endangered suckers and salmon in the Klamath Basin face a greater shot at survival thanks to federal funds awarded this week. On Wednesday, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced the first 33 Klamath Basin restoration projects to receive funds totaling more than $26 million this year. The money is part of $162 million from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for improving the ailing health of the Klamath Basin in Oregon and California during the next five years. All of the projects are dedicated to restoring fish populations and habitats, especially endangered Lost River and shortnose sucker fish and coho and chinook salmon. … ” Read more from Oregon Capital Chronicle here: Big win for endangered Klamath Basin fish in first round of federal funding
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Reopening of parts of the Tahoe Keys delayed due to herbicide level
“The three-year-long Control Methods Test (CMT) began this summer in the Tahoe Keys. The projected mid-July reopening date of closed waterways has come and gone and it may be several more weeks until boaters, paddlers, swimmers, and pets can access those closed areas. The reason for the delay is the need for the double turbidity curtains to stay in place for waterways treated with herbicides. Per their permit with Lahontan Water Board, the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association (TKPOA) and those hired to do the tests cannot remove the curtains until all herbicide residues from Triclopyr get below 1 part per billion. It is currently hovering around 3 parts per billion according to the TKPOA interim General Manager Mark Madison. … ” Read more from South Tahoe Now here: Reopening of parts of the Tahoe Keys delayed due to herbicide level
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
‘Devastation’: South Shasta County residents deal with drought conditions not seen in 100 years
“Bill Robison has a “lifesaver” who drives a 1973 Ford truck. A couple times a week, Ed Roberts rolls up to Robison’s house with a 500-gallon tank of water in the bed of his pickup. The truck bounces out into Robison’s orchard along Balls Ferry Road in Anderson, where the two fill barrels with water. At this time of year Robison usually floods his pecan and walnut orchards with irrigation water from the Anderson-Cotttonwood Irrigation District. But for the first time in its 106-year history, the district this year did not supply water to residents in southern Shasta and northern Tehama counties. … ” Continue reading at the Redding Record Searchlight here: ‘Devastation’: South Shasta County residents deal with drought conditions not seen in 100 years
Supervisors, mayors awash in Solano water infrastructure, drought issues
“The third year of drought has not been as difficult on Solano County as other areas of the state. The reason is Lake Berryessa, Chris Lee, assistant general manager of the Solano County Water Agency, told the Solano City-County Coordinating Council in a virtual meeting Wednesday night. He said Berryessa continues to provide stability for water supply, even through drier years. Moreover, the lake tends to fill back up quickly after drought years. The lake level on Friday was reported at 398.39 feet, about 42 feet below the Glory Hole level when the lake spills. … ” Read more from the Daily Republic here: Supervisors, mayors awash in Solano water infrastructure, drought issues
BAY AREA
A heat wave is on tap for the Bay Area. How hot will it get this week?
“Hope you enjoyed the short and sweet cool weekend, Bay Area residents, because the heat is making a progressive return this week, and it will continue to heat up a little more every afternoon. To start the week off we’ll see a pocket of colder air, generally hovering above where planes fly at about 33,000 feet, which will keep the Bay Area on the cooler side — just a few degrees up from Sunday. This is known as an upper level low. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: A heat wave is on tap for the Bay Area. How hot will it get this week?
Dead fish are piling up across shores of San Francisco Bay, Lake Merritt, as algal bloom grows
“Thousands of dead fish are piling up across the Bay Area. From the concrete outer edges of Oakland’s Lake Merritt to the sandy beaches of San Francisco’s Fort Funston, and the pebbled banks of Oyster Point in San Mateo County, the carcasses of fish likely poisoned by a harmful algal bloom — more commonly known as a red tide — are washing up ashore. It’s a mass-death event the San Francisco Bay hasn’t seen the like of in years, says Jon Rosenfield, senior scientist at anti-pollution group SF Baykeeper. “From a fish’s point of view, this is a wildfire in the water,” he said. … ” Read more from KQED here: Dead fish are piling up across shores of San Francisco Bay, Lake Merritt, as algal bloom grows
EXPLORE MORE COVERAGE:
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- Algae bloom in San Francisco Bay, Lake Merritt is killing fish, threatening swimmers, from the San Francisco Chronicle
- Thousands of dead fish found at Oakland’s Lake Merritt. A Bay Area-wide problem may be the cause, from the San Jose Mercury News
Santa Clara County dam faces growing opposition
“The opposition against the Pacheco Dam expansion in South County is growing—and so is the list of plaintiffs suing Valley Water over the project. This week, the environmental advocacy group Sierra Club and the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band have added their names to the Stop Pacheco Dam Coalition, which is suing Valley Water. The lawsuit, first filed in June by environmentalists and landowners, challenges the water district’s reliance on environmental exemptions, arguing it will result in grave environmental consequences. “Valley Water is cutting corners on the environmental review for these investigations and acting like they have no impact when in fact, they do. They would require mitigation and avoidance measures if you were to carry them out,” Osha Meserve, a Sacramento attorney representing the dam opponents, told San José Spotlight. “This is a very wild and sensitive area, so running around with a bunch of trucks and helicopters and digging holes does have impacts.” … ” Read more from the San Jose Spotlight here: Santa Clara County dam faces growing opposition
Valley Water discusses drought solutions during water summit
“The Santa Clara Valley Water District hosted a summit Friday morning in Santa Clara, bringing together elected officials and organizations across the Bay Area to discuss solutions to statewide water problems as California experiences its third consecutive year of a severe drought emergency. Water Summit 2022 focused on both short- and long-term solutions and mitigations to water shortages. Aaron Baker, the chief operating officer for water utility at Valley Water, said such solutions are needed to help the region through the current drought. … ” Read more from SF Gate here: Valley Water discusses drought solutions during water summit
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Second phase of Schafer Dam project has begun
“The second phase of the Lake Success Schafer Dam project, aimed at reducing flooding and increasing water storage, began with a groundbreaking ceremony held by Congressman Kevin McCarthy. The ceremony took place on Aug. 26, after a groundbreaking event for Phase I of the project did not happen in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Congressman Kevin McCarthy’s office used Phase II as a way to highlight the importance of the project and the congressman’s efforts to get the project started, which started with his introduction into office in 2013. Completion of the project is anticipated for late 2023. “Today is not the end, it is the beginning of the end,” McCarthy said at the ceremony. … ” Read more from the Foothills Sun-Gazette here: Second phase of Schafer Dam project has begun
Tule River Tribe relying on bottle water as drought dries up wells on reservation
“The drought it impacting nearly every community across California, but some more than others. Members of the Tule River Indian Tribe in Tulare County say the remaining water on their land is dwindling. There are about 16-hundred people that live at the reservation near Porterville and tribal officials say the lack of water is a constant barrier faced by residents. … ” Read more from Channel 23 here: Tule River Tribe relying on bottle water as drought dries up wells on reservation
Tehachapi: Banked groundwater: how much is enough?
“How much water has the Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District banked underground in the Cummings and Tehachapi basins? And should the board of directors set a limit for future extractions? These are among questions explored by the board in recent meetings and after further discussion at a board meeting Aug. 17, General Manager Tom Neisler was directed to bring a proposal for safeguarding banked water supplies to the board’s next regular meeting. The meeting is set for 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21. … ” Read more from the Tehachapi News here: Tehachapi: Banked groundwater: how much is enough?
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Big Bear Lake not dry, but megadrought means challenges, big ideas
“Look up, and lucky visitors to Big Bear Lake’s north shore this summer might be able to spot the mountain community’s famous trio of bald eagles. But in recent weeks, visitors have looked down and seen some less natural things along the lake’s rapidly expanding shoreline. There was a decaying torso from a mannequin that popped up overnight. There were shotgun shells, dock weights that looked to be decades old, and pull tabs from soda cans that have been banned since 1980. The vintage debris is not as shocking as the dead bodies that have emerged from a shrinking Lake Mead. But the sightings are a sign of just how low Big Bear Lake has become during this record-setting megadrought. With its complete dependence on precipitation, Big Bear Lake has long been what area writer and historian Mark Landis terms “a bellwether of drought conditions in Southern California.” … ” Read more from the Whittier Daily News here: Big Bear Lake not dry, but megadrought means challenges, big ideas
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Cadiz offers free water to Salton Sea and Torres Martinez tribe, but opponents are skeptical
“A controversial water project in the Mojave Desert — known for decades as the Cadiz water pipeline — is back in the spotlight with a promise that it will provide water to disadvantaged communities near the shrinking Salton Sea in addition to its long-held ambitions of selling desert water to urban Southern California. the latest iteration — Cadiz Water Project — notably rebrands the effort as one focused on conservation that would benefit communities in need of clean water or water infrastructure. A recent agreement between Cadiz, the Salton Sea Authority, and Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians would provide free water — 5,000 acre-feet per year — to the tribe and troubled sea. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun here: Cadiz offers free water to Salton Sea and Torres Martinez tribe, but opponents are skeptical
SAN DIEGO
Poll: Two-thirds of San Diegans say they can do more to conserve water
“A new poll of San Diego County residents finds that nearly two-thirds believe they can do more to conserve water during California’s record drought. The poll commissioned by the San Diego County Water Authority found that 88% feel they have a civic duty to use water efficiently and 66% say they can do “a little more” or “much more” to conserve. “San Diego County residents appreciate the importance of a safe and reliable water supply, and they are taking actions to ensure the long-term reliability of the water supply,” said Water Authority Board Chair Gary Croucher. … ” Read more from the San Diego Times here: Poll: Two-thirds of San Diegans say they can do more to conserve water
‘It puts us in a predicament:’ New East County water chief reflects on his biggest challenges
“When Brian Olney started in the water industry nearly three decades ago, it seemed nobody paid attention to what he and his colleagues were doing. “The general consensus was: Water fell from the sky, it shows up in our faucet, no one wants to hear anything from the water agencies,” Olney said. “That has changed dramatically.” On Thursday, Olney takes over as general manager of the Helix Water District, one of the county’s largest systems that serves hundreds of thousands in East County. He will be paid $255,000 to oversee an annual budget of more than $108 million. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune here: ‘It puts us in a predicament:’ New East County water chief reflects on his biggest challenges
Along the Colorado River …
Vague and voluntary proposals may do little to help Colorado River
“Water managers in recent weeks have put forth plans for conservation aimed at addressing the water-scarcity crisis on the Colorado River. But the proposals, which are vague and voluntary and lack goals with numbers, will probably do little to get additional water into the nation’s two largest reservoirs with the urgency officials say is needed. In June, federal officials said the seven Colorado River basin states had to conserve an additional 2 million to 4 million acre-feet and threatened to take unilateral action if the states didn’t come up with a plan within 60 days. But the deadline came and went without a basinwide deal or drastic action by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, except to implement the next round of cuts already agreed to by the states in the 2019 Drought Contingency Plan. As of Friday, there was still no plan from the lower basin states — California, Nevada and Arizona — on which upper basin water managers say the bulk of the responsibility to conserve rests. … ” Read more from Aspen Journalism here: Vague and voluntary proposals may do little to help Colorado River
Arizona: Queen Creek unruffled by states’ water bickering
” … Queen Creek has made no changes to curb residential or commercial water usage for now, nor does it seem to have any immediate plans to do so. “The Bureau of Reclamation’s recent announcement of a Tier 2a Shortage does not impact the Town’s groundwater supply,” writes Queen Creek Public Information Office Constance Halonen-Wilson. “The Town has a 100-year assured supply of groundwater. “The Town continues to have ample groundwater supply and is taking proactive steps to conserve water through programs, education and infrastructure.” The Town also is awaiting Bureau of Reclamation action on a plan it and GSC Farm LLC has proposed since 2019 to stop irrigating 485 acres of farmland near the Colorado River and to have that water sent to Queen Creek. ... ” Read the full story at the East Valley Tribune here: Arizona: Queen Creek unruffled by states’ water bickering
We should go where the water is
“Jeremy Sharpe is a managing partner for Rancho Sahuarita, a housing development south of Tucson. He wants you to get out of the house more. “Getting someone in a young family out of their house and going to a park, meeting another young family and building relationships, that is community,” Sharpe said. He also thinks that when you go out into the world with other people and share space with them, that could save water. … ” Read more from Arizona Public Media here: We should go where the water is
Climate change is punishing the Colorado River — and fueling devastating wildfires on the basin
“On a Thursday afternoon in October, 2020, Jeff Stahla hit the road east, with a plan to meander his way home from the Western Slope to Loveland via scenic byways that flirt with the Colorado River for part of its twisting, tumbling journey down from headwaters high in Rocky Mountain National Park. The route would add hours to his trip, and skirt the East Troublesome fire, which had been spreading northeast of Kremmling for more than a week, but Stahla, 50, is an outdoors lover and Colorado native. He also was the former editor of the Loveland newspaper, with a fancy camera in the backseat of his car, emergency scanner apps on his phone, and an inkling something had changed for the worse. … ” Read more from the Gazette here: Climate change is punishing the Colorado River — and fueling devastating wildfires on the basin
Column: One small step will save a mile of the Colorado River. A giant leap is needed to save the rest.
Columnist Diane Carman writes, “It was a predictably goofy photo op last week amid the heavy machinery poised to rip into the area around the Windy Gap reservoir in Grand County to save a stretch of moribund Colorado River. Speaker after speaker cited the extraordinary collaboration achieved after decades of grueling negotiations that finally resulted in an agreement to dig the Colorado River Connectivity Channel and allow the river to flow again in an area where fish, bugs and most every living thing that used to thrive in it there has died. Kudos rained upon the politicians, engineers, water district managers and advocates assembled under a tent at the construction site. All said the credit for the long-sought agreement must be shared. But despite all the magnanimity, one name was mentioned again and again with exceptional warmth and respect. It was that of Lurline Underbrink Curran, whom everyone called “Lur.” … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun here: Column: One small step will save a mile of the Colorado River. A giant leap is needed to save the rest.
Glen Canyon’s side canyons spring back to life
“Water levels at Lake Powell are dropping. And as the water recedes, previously buried landscapes are reemerging. Seth Arens, an ecologist with Western Water Assessment, a federally funded research arm of the University of Colorado, and consultant for his own company Western Climate Services, has been studying nature’s response on these previously covered landscapes. So, Seth, how much land are we talking about and what are you seeing? Well, when Lake Powell was at its lowest level this spring, there was about 100,000 acres of land that was previously inundated by Lake Powell that is now exposed. Over the past three to four years, I’ve been conducting surveys in many tributary canyons to the Colorado River and starting this year in the Lake Powell region. What I’m finding is that especially in canyons where there’s flowing water much of the year, that there are relatively native ecosystems reestablishing very quickly on the order of a couple of years. We’re starting to see willows and native grasses. A few years after that, we’re even seeing species like cottonwoods. … ” Read more from the Salt Lake Tribune here: Glen Canyon’s side canyons spring back to life
In national water news today …
Western agricultural coalition warns of rural economic upheaval without effective deployment of drought response funding
“In a letter sent to U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton, a coalition of agricultural organizations offered their support, assistance and counsel for the immediate implementation of drought funding from the Inflation Reduction Act. Key coalition principles include: The Bureau of Reclamation should quickly release a Notice of Funding Availability with guidance to water managers currently developing drought response proposals and urgently deploy that funding to address the most critical needs … ” Continue reading at the Western Growers Association here: Western agricultural coalition warns of rural economic upheaval without effective deployment of drought response funding
Drought is exposing world relics — from dinosaur tracks to Nazi ships
“Previously unseen dinosaur tracks dot a dried-up riverbed in Central Texas. Sunken warships poke out from port waters on the Serbia-Romania border. Once-submerged Buddhist statues loom above the Yangtze River’s banks in Chongqing, China.As record-breaking drought — fueled by human-caused climate change — parches waterways around the world, hidden relics that would have been difficult or impossible to access in milder years are emerging from below the surface. The discoveries are a world history windfall, offering a rare peek at lost pieces of humanity’s past and ancient life on Earth. But their exposure sets off a race against time for researchers, who have only a short window to study them before the rivers roll back. … ” Read more from the Washington Post here: Drought is exposing world relics — from dinosaur tracks to Nazi ships
These U.S. locations saw the most extreme temperatures in the past decade
“With its sweltering deserts and frigid northern plains, the United States features some of the world’s most extreme weather. Every day, the National Weather Service publishes the highest and lowest temperatures recorded at reliable weather stations in the Lower 48 states. An analysis of more than a decade of this data reveals the nation’s most exceptional temperatures range from a scorching 130 degrees in Death Valley, Calif., to a numbing minus-56 degrees in Cotton, Minn. … ” Read more from the Washington Post here: These U.S. locations saw the most extreme temperatures in the past decade
More news and commentary in the weekend edition …
This weekend in California water news …- Federal agency recommends removal of four lower Klamath River Dams
- FERC Staff recommends Klamath River dams removal — with conditions
- Why California’s largest reservoir in nearly 50 years may be derailed by water shortages
- Atmospheric rivers could unleash billions in damages. One part of the Bay Area is especially at risk
- The fight against drought in California has a new tool: The restrictor
- U.S. Interior Secretary sees California drought impacts firsthand
- How California’s drought compares to others around the world and some water saving tips
- This summer has been packed with record-breaking rainstorms. Why?
- Tiny oysters play big role in stabilizing eroding shorelines
- Innovative program strives to protect the wildlands of the West
- The impact of wildfires goes far beyond acres burned
- The Klamath refuges, America’s first-ever waterfowl refuge, is completely dry
- How did ACID respond to federal water cuts? Key questions, answered.
- Downstream struggle: Phase II of Schafer Dam project begins
- Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority’s recent water purchase agreement doesn’t mean what they say it means
- Study: Increased — but still low — levels of water radiation around the San Onofre nuclear plant
- The struggle to save the Colorado River stalls, but potential solutions emerge
- And more …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
NOTICE of acceptance of Sites Project Authority water right application
NOTICE of Proposed Rulemaking Regarding the Delta Levees Investment Strategy
YOU’RE INVITED: 30×30 Partnership Kick-Off
