A wrap-up of posts published on Maven’s Notebook this week …
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In California water news this week …
California: Drought, record heat, fires and now maybe floods
“Californians sweated it out amid a record-breaking heat wave entering its 10th day Friday that has helped fuel deadly wildfires and pushed energy supplies to the brink of daily power outages. Relief is in sight as the remnants of a hurricane approach that will lower temperatures during the weekend but could bring another set of challenges: heavy rains that will be welcomed in the drought-plagued state but might cause flash floods. Climate change is making the planet warmer, scientists say, and weather-related disasters more extreme. The heat that colored weather maps dark red for more than a week in California is only a preview of coming attractions. … ” Read more from US News and World Report here: California: Drought, record heat, fires and now maybe floods
July 2022 urban water use 10.4% lower than in July 2020
“Statewide water use dropped in July by 10.4% relative to July 2020, as state conservation actions continued to take hold and build momentum toward greater water savings. Most residential water use occurs outdoors during warm weather, making summer the season with the greatest opportunity for conservation. The State Water Resources Control Board’s recent emergency conservation regulation, enacted in June, has contributed to steadily increasing water savings during the summer months. Many local utilities and suppliers have set restrictions on residential outdoor watering as well, reinforcing the impact of state-level actions. Statewide water use prohibitions adopted by the State Water Board in January 2022 are also still in effect. ...
Diverters of Tuolumne River water suddenly see hope for state agreement on fish flows
“The main diverters of Tuolumne River water could be closing in, finally, on an agreement with the state on fish protections. The boards of the Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts voted separately Tuesday to direct their staffs to finalize the deal. Details have not yet been disclosed on how much water would be released from Don Pedro Reservoir to support salmon and other fish in the lower river. Only about 20% of natural flows are left in an average year after MID, TID and San Francisco take their shares. The volume would roughly double under a plan approved in 2018 by the State Water Resources Control Board but not yet carried out. ... ” Read more from the Modesto Bee here: Diverters of Tuolumne River water suddenly see hope for state agreement on fish flows
Turlock Irrigation District moves closer to voluntary agreement with state water board
“Turlock Irrigation District’s board of directors voted unanimously Tuesday to move toward a voluntary agreement that would supersede flow requirements within the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan. That plan was first adopted in 2018, but the flow requirements never have been implemented. But since then, the plan has been the flashpoint for a debate — in simplest terms, think of it as fish vs. farms — that pits the environmental groups, such as the Tuolumne River Trust, against public utilities, such as the Turlock Irrigation District, Modesto Irrigation District and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Those three agencies share the Tuolumne River’s water rights. … ” Read more from the Turlock Irrigation District here: Turlock Irrigation District moves closer to voluntary agreement with state water board
SEE ALSO: Relief from water wars in sight at long last for Modesto and Turlock growers, editorial from the Modesto Bee
Conserve groundwater. Fallow farmland. Increase dust?
“For a century, California’s San Joaquin Valley has been known as “the food basket of the world.” The 27,500-square mile region currently produces over $34 billion worth of food each year, a productivity made possible only by its large-scale irrigation projects and unrestrained groundwater pumping. In 2015, however, California passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), making it last Western state to regulate its groundwater — and bringing the San Joaquin Valley into compliance with the law will require retiring over 500,000 acres of its farmland in the next 20 years. While SGMA’s regulations are for the greater good — achieving sustainable water use in an increasingly unpredictable climate — they are likely to have negative effects on the ground. According to Land Transitions and Dust in the San Joaquin Valley, a July 25 report by the nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank Public Policy Institute of California, fallowing those 500,000 acres is likely to create significant amounts of dust in a region already has the country’s worst air quality. If the land is simply taken out of production and left unused, SGMA’s climate adaptation goals could worsen existing environmental injustices in the area’s frontline communities. … ” Read more from High Country News here: Conserve groundwater. Fallow farmland. Increase dust?
New report: Left Out in Drought: California Fish
“The report, “Left Out in Drought: California Fish,” finds warmer water temperatures, increasing algal blooms, and lower stream flows associated with the 2020-present drought have exacerbated the long-term decline of California’s fish populations and threatened the continued survival of some native fish species, many of which face extinction. Fish population health is recognized as a major indicator of freshwater ecosystem health more broadly. The report synthesizes and summarizes US Geological Survey (USGS) flow data, state and federal fish counts, reports from state and federal agencies, and peer-reviewed literature. While the report focuses on data from the Sacramento River, San Joaquin River, and San Francisco Bay-Delta, the findings illuminate broader trends for drought-related impacts to fish and freshwater ecosystems across California and beyond.” Read the report from the Pacific Institute here: New report: Left Out in Drought: California Fish
Facing ‘dead pool’ risk, California braces for painful water cuts from Colorado River
“California water districts are under growing pressure to shoulder substantial water cutbacks as the federal government pushes for urgent solutions to prevent the Colorado River’s badly depleted reservoirs from reaching dangerously low levels. … Without major reductions, the latest federal projections show growing risks of Lake Mead and Lake Powell approaching “dead pool” levels, where water would no longer pass downstream through the dams. Though the states haven’t agreed on how to meet federal officials’ goal of drastically reducing the annual water take by 2 million to 4 million acre-feet, the looming risks of near-empty reservoirs are prompting more talks among those who lead water agencies. Though Trujillo and Touton have stressed their interest in collaborating on solutions, they have also laid out plans that could bring additional federal leverage to bear. Their plan to reexamine and possibly redefine what constitutes “beneficial use” of water in the three Lower Basin states — California, Arizona and Nevada — could open an avenue to a critical look at how water is used in farming areas and cities. … ” Read the full story at the LA Times here: Facing ‘dead pool’ risk, California braces for painful water cuts from Colorado River
Could auctions help California make better use of its water? This leading economist believes so
“California is in a megadrought. Like many other places across the world, climate heating and unsustainable water usage have brought California close to a potentially devastating water shortage. But some help may come from an unexpected place: economics. To economists, Paul Milgrom is a familiar name. The Stanford economist has been extremely influential with his work on game theory and market design. But one field, in particular, has brought him widespread recognition: auctions. Milgrom was even awarded a Nobel Prize for his work on auctions, alongside Robert Wilson. The two used innovative auction formats to make markets more effective. For instance, Milgrom convinced the Federal Communications Commission to use an auction format that he and Wilson had designed to sell its spectrum broadcast frequency, raising over $60 billion for the U.S. Treasury in the process for something that was previously given away practically for free. Now, Milgrom wants to do the same thing to California’s water markets and make everything more efficient — through auctions. ... ” Read more from ZME Science here: Could auctions help California make better use of its water? This leading economist believes so
In commentary this week …
Droughts don’t have to be this painful
Bloomberg opinion editors write, “The world is parched. In California, a record heat wave has exacerbated the western US’s worst drought in centuries. Water levels in Europe’s Rhine River have been so low that at times over recent weeks this vital European waterway has been all but impassable to shipping. Asia’s longest river, the Yangtze, has struggled to feed farms and hydroelectric stations. Crops have wilted in the heat from India to the American Midwest. Scientists have long warned of the threats climate change poses to the stability of the global economic system. The severity of drought conditions this summer shows that the crisis is already here — and governments haven’t done nearly enough to prepare for it. Going forward, more urgent and coordinated investments in climate adaptation measures are necessary to prevent a dire situation from getting worse. … ” Read more at Bloomberg Opinion here: Droughts don’t have to be this painful | Read via Washington Post
Latest attack on proposed Sites Reservoir – not enough water
Edward Ring, contributing editor and senior fellow with the California Policy Center, writes, “When it comes to attacking anything that will make so much as a scratch in the earth, California’s environmentalists never run out of arguments, and their litigators never run out of money. So it goes with the proposed Sites Reservoir, which is enduring a withering new bombardment from environmentalists in the wake of Governor Newsom’s recently announced Water Supply Strategy in which the governor endorsed the Sites Project and even had the temerity to suggest environmentalist obstruction is stopping as many good projects as bad ones. As reported in the San Francisco Chronicle earlier this week, and dutifully highlighted in Maven’s Notebook, “California’s largest reservoir in nearly 50 years may be derailed by water shortages.” Apparently there isn’t enough water flowing down the Sacramento River to fill the 1.5 million acre foot reservoir. But that entirely depends on who you ask. … ” Read more from the California Globe here: Latest attack on proposed Sites Reservoir – not enough water
Editorial: Relief from water wars in sight at long last for Modesto and Turlock growers
The Modesto Bee editorial board writes, “Say you are a business owner being sued in court. You firmly believe you are in the right, but the other side thinks they have a solid legal argument, too. The case drags on for years. Finally, you agree to give up something in a settlement. It’s not your ideal outcome, of course — if the case had proceeded to trial, you might have won everything — exactly what you deserve. But you also could have lost far more at trial than you’re giving up in the deal. So in the end, you’re mostly happy. That’s kind of how it is with our local irrigation districts and the voluntary agreements they’re finally drafting (again) with state water officials. When the final product comes forth, perhaps in a few months, it definitely will mean that our farmers will give up some of the Tuolumne River water their crops depend on. The same is expected for the Stanislaus and Merced rivers. ... ” Read more from the Modesto Bee here: Relief from water wars in sight at long last for Modesto and Turlock growers
Biggest illusion in California is what water use and development does and doesn’t do
Dennis Wyatt, editor of the Manteca Bulletin, writes, “Water is a mirage in California. We tend to see what we want to see. In my case, the biggest illusion was Auburn Dam. If you were a resident of Placer County in the 1960s to 1980s you viewed it as almost as a birthright that the American River be dammed in the canyon below Auburn. The fact that a previously unknown earthquake fault was detected running right beneath where work had started on the dam’s foundation wouldn’t shake your faith that the dam thing needed to be built. The proposed 2.3 million acre feet of water storage — just 100,000 acre feet less than New Melones on the Stanislaus River — was the last big dam envisioned for the Central Valley Water Project. … ” Read more from the Manteca Bulletin here: Biggest illusion in California is what water use and development does and doesn’t do
Petition aimed at protecting non-native Striped Bass will only worsen the plight of California’s imperiled native fishes
Paul S. Weiland writes, “The Northern California Guides and Sportsmen’s Association (NCGASA) has filed a petition for regulatory change with the California Fish and Game Commission that would alter sport fishing such that only striped bass within a 10-inch size range could be legally harvested. Stripers less than 20 inches would be protected from harvest, as would stripers larger than 30 inches. The existing regulations allow anglers to keep any fish 18 inches or greater in length. The stated purpose of the proposed change to a “slot limit” is to contribute to the conservation of striped bass — to grow the population in the San Francisco Estuary and its tributary rivers and to boost its capacity for reproduction. NCGASA’s proposal to revise the regulations in order to increase the population of non-native striped bass in the Estuary is contrary to federal and state policy aimed at protecting native fish and should be rejected by the Commission. One might expect that NCGASA’s proposed regulation change is motivated by a precipitous decline in the striped bass fishery, but the petition does not assert that angling opportunities for striped bass have diminished over time. … ” Read more from the Center for California Water Resources Policy and Management here: Petition aimed at protecting non-native Striped Bass will only worsen the plight of California’s imperiled native fishes
Delta Flows: California surface waters are in peril, and all we got is this lousy tunnel.
Barbara Barrigan-Parilla with Restore the Delta writes, “Despite knowing for some time that the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP) was advancing, when the Department of Water Resources (DWR) dropped the environmental impact report (EIR) for the project at the end of July, we, at Restore the Delta, felt like we were suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome. The remnants of CalFed, the Chunnel, BDCP, CA WaterFix, and now the DCP – it is too much. There are so many other issues that need attention to restore the health of the Bay-Delta estuary and California’s rivers, including but not limited to harmful algal bloom research and mitigation, fishery health, habitat restoration, flood control, drought management, preparing for climate change impacts, managing invasive species, heat islands, fire threats, improving water quality for all its uses, and the Bay-Delta Plan. … ” Continue reading from Restore the Delta here: Delta Flows: California surface waters are in peril, and all we got is this lousy tunnel.
California has a right to water. So why are Sacramento’s homeless people dying of thirst?
“Sacramento’s temperatures soared to a record-breaking 116 degrees on Tuesday. The heat wave saw one of our unhoused neighbors living on the American River Parkway die of dehydration and heat stroke, one of the most easily preventable causes of death. This death was especially tragic because California recognizes a “Human Right to Water.” Assembly Bill 685, passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2012, declares that every person in California “has the right to safe, clean, affordable and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking and sanitary purposes.” We must take targeted and effective action now to realize California’s Human Right to Water so that everyone — including our most vulnerable unhoused people — can survive future heat waves. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: California has a right to water. So why are Sacramento’s homeless people dying of thirst?
Water payment systems should not be one-size-fits-all
Bryan Glenn, founder and CEO of Servus, a technology company addressing the debt crisis in local governments, writes, “The American Rescue Plan Act was a landmark law. It provided $350 billion to state, local, and tribal governments to respond to Covid-19, invest in infrastructure, and recover lost revenue. Amid the pandemic, these funds helped many water departments that were already experiencing financial stress from steadily increasing water rates, decaying infrastructure, and natural disasters. But one-time funding, even of that magnitude, is not sufficient to solve America’s structural problems with water payments. Fault lines had surfaced back in 2020 when over a billion dollars worth of unpaid water bills had accumulated in several large U.S. cities. In the last two years, local governments of all sizes across the country were seeing customers rack up debt. This is unsustainable. It would be prudent for all jurisdictions to reconsider their current debt collection strategy and look to add a fiscally responsible and equitable revenue model. At the very least, revenue collection should be deliberately designed to prevent debt accumulation for low-income individuals. ... ” Read more from Circle of Blue here: Water payment systems should not be one-size-fits-all
No wet people without wetlands
Columnist Larry Wilson writes, “I have often heard Californians who claim they are concerned about water conservation in the state say: “Why do we let rivers run all the way to the sea?” I hear them, and I have no idea what they mean. I mean, that’s what rivers do. They run to the sea. Flow, river flow, and all that. We live on a blue planet, not on some engineered man-made construction. It is not because I think the Pacific Ocean needs the addition of the fresh waters that have for thousands of years flowed from the few rivers we have in Southern California and the many in Central and Northern California in order to stay filled up. It’s that … really? I simply don’t understand the question. … ” Read more from the OC Register here: No wet people without wetlands
On desalination and drought with activist Conner Everts
“This May, a coalition of water advocates won a victory against the Poseidon desalination plant planned for Huntington Beach, California. As part of the 22-year effort, Food & Water Watch helped to shut down plans for the plant. If it had been approved, Poseidon would have wreaked havoc on marine life and driven up community water rates. At the same time, the plant would have bypassed more cost-effective, more sustainable and more just conservation solutions. Our Manger of Individual Philanthropy Leah Garland sat down with Conner Everts, long-time water activist and consultant. They discuss the Poseidon fight, the dangers of desalination and the future of water in California. This interview was edited for clarity and length. … ” Read more from Food and Water Watch here: On desalination and drought with activist Conner Everts
Governor Newsom’s water plan represents progress, but misses the power of markets
“In mid-August, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced plans to tackle the state’s ongoing water crisis. California is in the midst of a drought, which some are now referring to as “the end of the dream.” Water shortages in the West are unfortunately becoming part of everyday life, thanks in large part to climate change. Newsom’s plan appears to be moving the state in the right direction by focusing on increasing the supply of water available for residents’ wide-ranging purposes. However, his administration should be doing more to leverage the power of markets and market pricing, strategies noticeably absent from new proposals. … ” Continue reading from Forbes here: Governor Newsom’s water plan represents progress, but misses the power of markets
Goodbye grass, later lawn: A water-conscious gardener faces California’s brutal drought
Christian Vescia, an instructional designer for a San Francsico fintech company and an avid gardener, writes, “A few months ago, I said goodbye to the lawn in front of our house. In my city of San Carlos, California, a lot of people are modifying their landscaping to reduce water use and a lush carpet of grass — while not quite a thing of the past — is becoming less common. My wife and I wanted to do our part too, but weren’t ready to implement a full-on xeriscape solution with succulents and desert plants. Like a lot of places, we’re facing the obvious impacts of climate change here in the San Francisco Bay Area. … So as beautiful as a plush carpet of grass can be, we couldn’t justify using the hundreds of gallons of water required to maintain the three lawns we have on our property: a front lawn, a back lawn and a third lawn on an upper terrace in our backyard. ... ” Read more from CNN here: Goodbye grass, later lawn: A water-conscious gardener faces California’s brutal drought
To conserve water, consider the food you put on your plate
Ellie Fajer, a senior at Stanford University, writes, “At 21 years old, I felt blindsided when I first learned about the water footprint of meat. As I was growing up, speakers dispatched to schools by Denver Water encouraged my classmates and me to take shorter showers and shut off the tap while brushing our teeth to save water. Meanwhile, producing a single hamburger takes 660 gallons of water. This is as much water as taking a 4½ hour shower, or leaving the faucet running while brushing your teeth for almost an entire year. A single hamburger. No one ever mentioned that. … ” Continue reading at the Colorado Sun here: To conserve water, consider the food you put on your plate
California needs housing, but must protect its farms
Kara Heckert, the Resilient Agriculture West advisor and former California regional director for the American Farmland Trust, writes, “Severe drought is leading California’s farmers and ranchers to fallow lands, switch to less water-intensive crops, or farm on fewer acres. Cattle producers, whose pastures are nearly barren, are selling off cattle because they have little or nothing to feed them. In 2021, 395,100 acres of cropland were fallowed, which resulted in more than 14,000 lost jobs and $1.7 billion in lost revenue, according to the California Farm Water Coalition. It predicts this year will be worse, with 594,000 to 691,000 fallowed acres, up to 25,800 lost jobs and $3.5 billion in lost economic output. Current development trends are sounding off additional alarms for the loss of productive farmlands. … ” Read more from Ag Alert here: California needs housing, but must protect its farms
Our too little, too late climate action means triage more than prevention
David Helvarg, author and executive director of Blue Frontier, writes, “Two years ago the sky above my San Francisco Bay Area home was a dark pumpkin orange from wildfire smoke. The air smelled of wood fire, and gray ash covered my car. Today the bay’s waters are dark brown from a harmful algal bloom and the air smells of decay and dead fish. Both incidents, like the heat dome California’s been suffering under since last week, have links to climate change. It used to be that climate emergencies happened somewhere else. But now they’re coming to a neighborhood near you. We could have prevented it, but we failed to do what was required. ... ” Read more from the LA Times here: Our too little, too late climate action means triage more than prevention
Opinion: The Coastal Commission is not the enemy, developers flouting the rules are the real problem
Jennifer Savage, who has spent nearly six years testifying at California Coastal Commission meetings as Surfrider Foundation’s California Policy Manager, writes, “Sure, an 8,000-square-foot house sounds crazy to those of us who somehow managed to raise three children in humbler accommodations, but saying you wouldn’t do something is always easier when that something isn’t an option. If I had the money to build a mansion, maybe I would! But what I wouldn’t do is choose to violate established laws designed to lessen its impact on the animals and plants or historical areas nearby. Society generally holds that the people have the right to a healthy environment, and that our government is responsible for protecting this right on both public and private property. … ” Read more from the North Coast Journal here: Opinion: The Coastal Commission is not the enemy, developers flouting the rules are the real problem
Failure to act to save the Colorado means we all lose
Pat Mulroy, former general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, writes, “The year was 2002 … it marked the moment when Southern Nevada’s water reality changed forever. The Colorado River had always experienced years with less-than-normal snowpack, but since the completion of the dam system, it had not experienced 25% of normal runoff. Lake Powell crashed, signaling the onset of a much drier future for a river that everyone had taken for granted. Southern Nevada’s response was remarkable, transforming itself from the poster child of water waste to the global example of urban water conservation. Unprecedented cooperation emerged among the states and two countries that rely on this resource, and the world watched in awe. Even at that time, we realized that this was more than a drought, and we were experiencing the onset of the consequences of climate change — the speed at which the aridification has occurred was not baked into the forecast. So here we are just 20 years later and effects that were expected in 2050 or beyond are upon us. … ” Read more from the Las Vegas Sun here: Failure to act to save the Colorado means we all lose
In regional water news this week …
Dry wells in Klamath raise Oregon concerns about California regulations
“Dropping aquifer levels in the Klamath basin have convinced Oregon regulators to weigh in on groundwater management across the state line in California. The Oregon Water Resources Department has found fault with how groundwater resources are characterized in a management plan for the Tule Lake area of northern California. “We felt pretty strongly they were not appreciating the decline concerns that we have on the Oregon side of the border,” said Tom Byler, the agency’s director, during a recent meeting of the state’s Water Resources Commission. … ” Continue reading from the Capital Press here: Dry wells in Klamath raise Oregon concerns about California regulations
Tahoe: Officials say Keys invasive weeds test working; 1st turbidity curtain being removed
“Officials say the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association test project to control the largest infestation of aquatic invasive weeds in the Tahoe Basin through the use of herbicides is proving successful. A foul odor with extensive algae and widespread discoloration in the Tahoe Keys are due to decomposing invasive weeds, as well as the prolonged isolation and lack of circulation, officials said on Friday. Conditions have improved somewhat over the last week and should continue a return to normal as air and water temperatures begin to drop, said a news release. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune here: Officials say Keys invasive weeds test working; 1st turbidity curtain being removed
Clean Up the Lake finds ‘dirtiest mile’ yet in Fallen Leaf Lake
“Nonprofit Clean Up The Lake has launched an expansive underwater clean up in Fallen Leaf Lake revealing the Tahoe Basin’s dirtiest mile yet. In the history of this small but mighty and often overlooked lake, there has never been an underwater cleanup of this scale, said a news release. Local canned cocktail company TIF’s Spiked Lemonade has kicked off the initial funding support followed by BlueZone Sports totaling the contributions towards the project to $15,000. In an effort to fully fund the project, CUTL is asking for community support to raise another $15,000 through a GoFundMe campaign. For each donation, TIF’s Spiked and BlueZone will match every dollar up to $15,000 with a total campaign goal of $30,000. So, how dirty is dirty? Well, the CUTL dive team composed of volunteers and team members removed 3,000 pounds of trash and 100 tires in just one mile of shoreline. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune here: Clean Up the Lake finds ‘dirtiest mile’ yet in Fallen Leaf Lake
The unbuilt dam that created California’s tallest bridge
“On Labor Day 1973, the Foresthill Bridge opened to the public. At an astounding height of 730 feet, it was the second-highest bridge in the world at the time and the highest in the state of California. The bridge outside of Auburn still holds the record as the state’s highest bridge by deck height and is the third-highest bridge in the country, according to National Geographic. The bridge towers over Sacramento’s 423-ft. Wells Fargo Center, the tallest building in the city, and provides some of the most breathtaking views of the foothills and the Sierra Nevada. However, the bridge was made in preparation for an even bigger project that never came to be: the Auburn Dam and subsequent Auburn Lake. … ” Read more from KRON here: The unbuilt dam that created California’s tallest bridge
Driest, wettest, hottest: Sacramento’s troubling trifecta of extremes
“California’s capital experienced its hottest day ever observed Tuesday — hitting an unprecedented 116 degrees and exceeding previous September records by a landslide of seven degrees. This latest peak, amid a historic heat wave torching the state, follows a year of significant extremes in Sacramento: In the past 12 months, before this record hot day, the state capital experienced its wettest day on record last October, an event bookended by a record-long dry stretch that wreaked havoc on agriculture throughout California’s Central Valley. The most recent heat has fueled dangerous wildfire weather, and there’s continued risk of power shortages. Rolling blackouts have been a constant threat in the Golden State in the past several days, as the state’s grid operator experiences record demand. It’s all part of a past year that’s been meteorological hell for the Central Valley — and Sacramento has been the scene of a bingo card of climate-fueled weather hazards. The extreme droughts and deluges are two sides of the same coin — all of these records made more probable by a warming planet. ... ” Read more from the Washington Post here: Driest, wettest, hottest: Sacramento’s troubling trifecta of extremes | Read via MSN News
Poop and pee fueled the huge algae bloom in San Francisco Bay. Fixing the problem could cost $14 billion
“After an unprecedented harmful algae bloom first turned San Francisco Bay a murky brown color and then littered its shores with dead fish, many people assumed it was yet another climate disaster to add to the list, along with extreme drought, wildfires and heat waves. While scientists suspect climate change played a role in triggering the bloom, what fueled it is not a mystery. Algae blooms need food to grow, and this one had plenty: nutrients originating in wastewater that the region’s 37 sewage plants pump into the bay. In other words —we wouldn’t have this problem without the poop and pee of the Bay Area’s 8 million residents. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: Poop and pee fueled the huge algae bloom in San Francisco Bay. Fixing the problem could cost $14 billion
Perris Dam project threatens Perris Auto Speedway, fairgrounds businesses, lawsuit alleges
“Revving engines and bucking bulls offer year-round thrills at the Perris fairgrounds when it’s not Southern California Fair season. But the owners of Perris Auto Speedway, Toro Wapo Arena Event Center and the Family A Fair Inc. concessions company fear what will happen to the car races, rodeos and live music — and the people whose jobs depend on them — when construction starts on a multi-year project at the Perris Dam. They’ve sued the California Department of Water Resources, which is overseeing the Perris Dam Modernization Project. Since filing suit last October, they allege they’re being harassed by state agencies through overzealous inspections. … ” Read more from the Riverside Press-Enterprise here: Perris Dam project threatens Perris Auto Speedway, fairgrounds businesses, lawsuit alleges
‘A land of permanent drought’: Desert golf courses work to cut water usage
“In charge of 500 acres of irrigated turf at Sun City Palm Desert, including two 18-hole golf courses, parks and softball fields for the 50-and-over community of 5,000 homes, Tyler Truman is no stranger to concerns about how much water the courses and the surrounding areas are using. “I can see where (the critics) are coming from,” said Truman, director of agronomy at Sun City, which includes the two golf courses at the Mountain Vista Golf Club. “And you listen to them. And then you try to educate them. This is how we are trying to use the water. This is how we are using the water.” As the drought in the southwest deepens, with a first-ever Level 2a Shortage Condition declared for the Colorado River – a major source of water for the desert and all of Southern California — golf courses in the Coachella Valley are aware that golf is always a target for those looking at water usage. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun here: ‘A land of permanent drought’: Desert golf courses work to cut water usage
Announcements, notices, and funding opportunities …
NOTICE: September 6 Weekly Update on Curtailment Status of Water Rights and Claims in the Delta Watershed
NOTICE: Notice of Temporary Water Right Permit Application T033324 to Appropriate Water from the Chowchilla Bypass in Madera County
NOTICE: Delta Conveyance Project Draft EIR Virtual Public Hearings Information
NOTICE: Public Notice for a Department of the Army In-Lieu Fee Project
