DAILY DIGEST, 12/19: Chinook return to CA’s far north — with a lot of human help; Low lake level prompts Mono Lake Committee to seek State Water Board action; In Bakersfield, a lawsuit aims to turn a dry riverbed into a flowing river; Local, state and federal agencies to partner in feasibility study for long-term restoration of the Salton Sea; and more …


In California water news today …

Saving salmon: Chinook return to California’s far north — with a lot of human help

Chinook salmon haven’t spawned in the McCloud River for more than 80 years. But last summer, thousands of juveniles were born in the waters of this remote tributary, miles upstream of Shasta Dam.  The young Chinook salmon — some now finger-sized smolts in mid-migration toward the Pacific Ocean — are part of a state and federal experiment that could help make the McCloud a salmon river once again.  Winter-run Chinook were federally listed as endangered in 1994, but recent years have been especially hard for the fish. Facing severe drought and warm river conditions, most winter-run salmon born naturally in the Sacramento River have perished over the past three years.  So restoring Chinook to the McCloud has become an urgent priority for state and federal officials. … ”  Read more from Cal Matters here: Saving salmon: Chinook return to California’s far north — with a lot of human help

Low lake level prompts Mono Lake Committee to seek State Water Board action

On December 16, 2022 the Mono Lake Committee submitted a request to the California State Water Resources Control Board for an emergency action to protect Mono Lake by addressing the developing ecological crisis due to the lake surface elevation having fallen below 6380 feet above sea level, which threatens the nesting California Gull population and dangerously increases lake salinity.  The Committee requested that the Board issue an emergency regulation, or take other action, suspending the export of water diverted from Rush and Lee Vining creeks and requiring delivery of that water into Mono Lake until Mono Lake has risen to 6384 feet above sea level.  Mono Lake is dangerously low due to the legacy of Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (DWP) water diversions, worsened by recent drought. … ”  Read more from the Mono Lake Committee here: Low lake level prompts Mono Lake Committee to seek State Water Board action

Sunny, warm for Christmas weekend at Tahoe; Wetter weather possible before end of year

There may be more snowfall by the end of 2022, but the days leading up to Christmas will be filled with mostly sun, including above average temperatures for the holiday weekend.  The National Weather Service says there is a chance a weak storm might brush by the Lake Tahoe Basin on Tuesday into Wednesday, but this week will consist of mostly sunny skies with warming temps through Sunday.  … The service said looking at the extended forecast that there is potential for a much wetter pattern to impact the region between Christmas and the new year. There are still a lot of variables in play. … ”  Read the full story at the Tahoe Daily Tribune here: Sunny, warm for Christmas weekend at Tahoe; Wetter weather possible before end of year

The largest estuary on the West Coast of North America

Jeffrey Mount and Wim Kimmerer write, “For decades the San Francisco Estuary, which includes San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, has been routinely described as “the largest estuary on the west coast of North America.” This appeared in publications of all types, presumably to emphasize the importance and unique nature of the estuary. But this claim is wrong. While the San Francisco Estuary is quite large, with many unique features, the Salish Sea Estuary is the largest by far.  Estuaries were defined six decades ago as semi-enclosed bodies of water where rivers mix with ocean water. This definition reflected the scope of estuarine studies of that era, which were conducted mainly in large river mouths in Europe and eastern North America. This traditional view of estuaries may have influenced current thinking that the San Francisco Estuary is the largest. ... ”  Continue reading from the California Water Blog here:  The Largest Estuary on the West Coast of North America

The lenses of fishes’ eyes record their lifetime exposure to toxic mercury, new research finds

Humans, animals and birds are exposed to methylmercury when they eat fish and shellfish. Scientists have been working for decades to understand how and when fish accumulate mercury. This information is key for assessing mercury risks across different water bodies and landscapes, and for evaluating policy changes designed to reduce mercury emissions. … In a newly published study, we describe a new window into individual fish’s lifetime exposure to mercury by measuring it in the fish’s eyes. This work is unlocking new possibilities for understanding fish lifetime exposure to this potent neurotoxicant. … ”  Read more from The Conversation here: The lenses of fishes’ eyes record their lifetime exposure to toxic mercury, new research finds

As climate changes makes desert water scarce, the debate over livestock vs. wildlife heats up

Tucked away from humans in hard-to-reach places, hundreds of artificial water catchments—AWCs, also known as guzzlers—dot the arid Southwest landscape, collecting rainwater for wildlife to drink. The introduction of livestock to the arid environment in the late 1800s and early 1900s, along with legislated prioritization of grazing rights, altered or usurped many natural water sources for the area’s native species. At the same time, the image of the West as an agrarian Eden, with plenty of land and sunshine, brought agricultural investment to Southern California–where water is in short supply. This in turn fostered large-scale water diversion and set precedence for putting agricultural water needs over wildlife. … Like anything water-related in California, however, this wildlife-friendly water catchment system is controversial. When it comes to negotiating water rights, wildlife does not have a seat at the table. Environmental and agricultural advocates often find themselves at odds over water allocation and management, which historically favors the $50 billion agriculture industry in the state. And protections for wildlife are hard-won and heavily litigated. … ”  Read the full story at Civil Eats here: As climate changes makes desert water scarce, the debate over livestock vs. wildlife heats up

Research finds how wildfires contaminate drinking water

In 2018, a raging fire tore through the town of 26,000 in Paradise, California, and nearly burned the town to the ground. Flames raged for over two weeks, and 85 people lost their lives, making the Camp Fire the state’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire.  After the fire, officials began to find volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were contaminating the town’s water. Scientists suggest that this could be a widespread problem in other areas that are prone to fires. Research published in Chemical & Engineering News looks at how plastic pipes could be the source of dangerous contamination and explores solutions for how to protect these communities. … ”  Read more from One Green Planet here: Research finds how wildfires contaminate drinking water

As climate change makes wildfires worse, FEMA faced with calls to change

Five years after wildfire ravaged the California wine country city of Santa Rosa, only mud and a concrete pad remain atop a hill where a fire station once sat.  Fire Chief Scott Westrope, who lost his own home in the fire, said a priority was rebuilding Fire Station 5, which burned to the ground in the inferno that wiped out more than 5,600 structures and killed 22 people.  Building at the bottom of a hill would keep the station from experiencing the worst fires, which tend to run uphill. But Mayor Chris Rogers says the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) denied funding in part due to rules designed to protect infrastructure harmed in storms from flood damage, saying the proposed new location was in a flood zone. … ”  Read more from Reuters News here: As climate change makes wildfires worse, FEMA faced with calls to change

Coalition teams up to save sequoias

California’s old-growth sequoia trees are dying at an alarming rate – so land managers across the Sierras are mounting an emergency response.  Many of the biggest, oldest trees on earth have fallen victim to mega-fires, bark beetle infestation and drought, all exacerbated by climate change.  Jessica Morse, deputy secretary for forest and wildland resilience at the California Natural Resources Agency, said multi-tree die-offs are rare among sequoias – with only about 2 dozen lost between the ice age and 2015 – but now more than 10,000 old-growth trees have died since 2020.  “This has been an all-hands-on-deck moment where we have state federal, local, tribal and nonprofit partners coming together to really address the sequoia crisis with urgency,” said Morse. “You know, we’ve lost nearly 20% of the monarch sequoias in just two years.” … ”  Read more from the Public News Service here: Coalition teams up to save sequoias

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In regional water news and commentary today …

NORTH COAST

Siskiyou County gets $1.5M to prepare for climate change

A Siskiyou County group has received $1.5 million to develop plans to prepare for climate change in the county.  The California Strategic Growth Council voted last week to award the money to the Siskiyou Economic Development Council and the Siskiyou Climate Collaborative Program, according to the strategic growth council.  The three-year grant will focus on planning for fire and climate resiliency in the communities of Dorris, Dunsmuir, Etna, Fort Jones, Montague, Mount Shasta, Tulelake, Weed, and Yreka, according to the state agency. … ”  Read more from the Redding Record Searchlight here: Siskiyou County gets $1.5M to prepare for climate change | Read via Mt. Shasta News

Lake County Water Resources staff, Michigan State and University of Vermont researchers team on new study

Lake County Water Resources staff and researchers from Michigan State University and University of Vermont partnered to investigate current water quality trends in Clear Lake, and their relationship to wildfires and climate change.  The research team evaluated water quality monitoring data from the last three large wildfire years in the Clear Lake Basin, including 2018 (Mendocino Complex), in comparison to long-term water quality nutrient data.  Their findings have now been published in the open-access, Peer-Reviewed Ecology Journal, Ecosphere, in a piece titled, “Turning up the Heat: Long-term water quality responses to wildfires and climate change in a hypereutrophic lake” (DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4271).  “Right after the Mendocino Complex, our department received many calls from the public concerned about the fire’s impact on Clear Lake water quality,” said Angela De Palma-Dow, County Invasive Species Program coordinator and lead author and primary investigator for the research effort. … ”  Read more from the Lake County News here: Lake County Water Resources staff, Michigan State and University of Vermont researchers team on new study

MOUNTAIN COUNTIES

New gondola creates a Sierra megaresort, delivering joy and worry

KT-22 is a sacred site in Lake Tahoe’s storied ski culture, a mountain summit with formidable terrain that has served as the proving ground for many of the nation’s finest winter athletes.  It is also, starting Saturday, a convenient stopover spot for anyone with a ski pass and some gumption.  With this weekend’s historic opening of a new 2.4-mile, $65 million gondola, the ski areas of Palisades Tahoe and Alpine Meadows are now merged into a single megaresort, connected by KT-22’s midway station.  This means Palisades skiers can easily visit Alpine, and Alpine skiers can easily visit Palisades without having to make a 20-minute, 5.5-mile drive. And everybody can visit KT-22. … ”  Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: New gondola creates a Sierra megaresort, delivering joy and worry

BAY AREA

Advocates ratchet up efforts to boot cattle from Point Reyes

Environmental and animal rights group, In Defense of Animals, has enlisted actor and narrator Peter Coyote in a campaign opposing cattle ranching at Point Reyes National Seashore.  The on-going struggle pits the natural local fauna—free running Tule Elk, against longstanding ranching operations.  “Hundreds of these magnificent animals have died slow, withering deaths from starvation and thirst. An eight foot tall, three-mile-long fence prevents elk from reaching more food and water. It was built for cattle ranchers, leasing land in the park. Ranchers were paid millions of dollars to leave decades ago, but they lobby politicians to stay,” Coyote said in the video. … ”  Read more from Northern California Public Media here: Advocates ratchet up efforts to boot cattle from Point Reyes

Marin officials air lingering concerns on Highway 37 plan

Marin transportation officials are on board with a plan to elevate Highway 37 to thwart threats of traffic jams and rising seas, but some have voiced concerns about the feasibility of costly and disruptive interim projects.  State officials presented an update to the Transportation Authority of Marin board on Thursday on the plan to replace the 21-mile highway connecting Highway 101 in Novato to Interstate 80 in Vallejo with a 30-foot-high, four-lane causeway along the current alignment of the corridor.  Officials with Caltrans and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission primarily focused their discussion on an estimated $500 million interim project to widen a bottlenecked section of the road to four lanes by adding a carpool lane in each direction by 2027, and associated marsh and shoreline enhancements. ... ”  Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here: Marin officials air lingering concerns on Highway 37 plan

CENTRAL COAST

New SLO County rules give farmers more water to irrigate crops. So why are they upset?

Farmers in the Paso Basin Land Use Management Area can use more water to irrigate their crops under a new ordinance recently approved by the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors. On Dec. 6, the board voted 3-2 to pass a new planting ordinance managing groundwater usage for the area, even after farmers urged them to maintain the current rules.  Supervisors Debbie Arnold, John Peschong and Lynn Compton said that the planting ordinance restores property rights to people who couldn’t farm under the 2015 ordinance. “What I’m trying to change is the fact that, for 10 years, some people have been allowed to use most of the sustainable yield … and many, many other landowners have no ability to irrigate on their ag zoned land,” Arnold said. “They had constitutional rights taken from them in a kind of roundabout way and never returned to them.”... ”  Read more from the San Luis Obsipo Tribune here: New SLO County rules give farmers more water to irrigate crops. So why are they upset?

SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY

In Bakersfield, a lawsuit aims to turn a dry riverbed into a flowing river

Conservation groups are going to court to try to bring back a flowing river in Bakersfield, where for years so much water has been diverted in canals to supply farms that the Kern River is usually reduced to a dry, sandy riverbed.  Six environmental groups sued the city of Bakersfield, saying that continuing to allow diversions of water upstream from the city harms the environment and the community.  “The river is just in a state of total collapse,” said Kelly Damian, a spokesperson for the group Bring Back the Kern. “That’s readily apparent to anybody who goes and just looks at the river. It’s dry. It’s dead. It’s derelict. It’s a blight on the community instead of what it should be.” … ”  Read more from the LA Times here: In Bakersfield, a lawsuit aims to turn a dry riverbed into a flowing river

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Water supply conditions grow ‘increasingly dire’

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California declared a region-wide drought emergency last week, calling on agencies to conserve imported water supplies.  District officials warned mandatory cuts could be on the way if drought conditions persist in the new year – measures already in place for some of its customers, including those in southeastern Ventura County.  Metropolitan also imports water from the Colorado River, and customers with access to that supply got a bit of reprieve earlier this year.  Now, that may be over. … ”  Read more from the Ventura County Star here: Water supply conditions grow ‘increasingly dire’

IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS

Local, state and federal agencies to partner in feasibility study for long-term restoration of the Salton Sea

The Salton Sea Management Program, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Los Angeles District, and the Salton Sea Authority today signed an agreement launching a study aimed at identifying projects and actions for the long-term restoration of the Salton Sea.  The Corps has received funding to initiate and complete the Imperial Streams Salton Sea and Tributaries Feasibility Study, which will investigate and recommend projects and/or actions to contribute to improved public health and potential environmental restoration opportunities for communities around the Salton Sea.  The study will build on the Salton Sea Management Program’s Long-Range Plan document, released as a draft for public comment on December 15. The cost-share agreement brings together a diverse set of skills and experience from the three agencies and creates a framework for working collaboratively. Additionally, the agreement could potentially lead to significant additional investments for the long-term restoration of the Salton Sea. …

Click here to read the full press release.

SAN DIEGO

Water Authority board oks $274 million upgrade of desal plant to protect marine life

The San Diego County Water Authority‘s board has unanimously approved $275 million in upgrades to the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant to protect marine life.  New seawater intake and discharge facilities have been in the plans since construction of the plant began a decade ago. Originally the plant shared intake with the nearby Encino generating station, but that has since been dismantled.  The project will take approximately two years and could require the plant to shut down for up to six weeks. The wholesale cost of water produced by the plant will rise by 30% over a four-year period to pay for the upgrades. … ”  Read more from the Times of San Diego here: Water Authority board oks $274 million upgrade of desal plant to protect marine life 

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Along the Colorado River …

Conferees told Colorado River action ‘absolutely critical’

The first weeks of 2023 will be crucial for Southwest U.S. states and water entities to agree how to use less water from the drought-stricken and fast-shrinking Colorado River, a top federal water manager said Friday.  “The coming three months are absolutely critical,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Interior Tommy Beaudreau told the Colorado River Users Association conferees ending three-day annual meetings in Las Vegas.  “To be clear, the challenge is extraordinary,” Beaudreau said of a withering two-decade Western drought that scientists now attribute to long-term, human-caused climate change. “The science tells us it’s our new reality.”  Beaudreau closed the conference with a call for water managers, administrators and individuals throughout the West “to develop solutions to help us all address the crisis.” … ”  Read more from the Associated Press here: Conferees told Colorado River action ‘absolutely critical’

Colorado River flows will plummet this water year to 24% of normal: Bureau

As the Colorado River crisis deepens, a new federal analysis of flows into Lake Powell shows that they will continue to plummet through 2025, before beginning to partially recover.  James Prairie, a hydrologic engineer for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, said flows are likely to be just 24% of average this year, making it unlikely under various planning scenarios that Powell will have enough water for the Upper Basin states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming to meet their legal commitment to deliver a minimum of 7 million acre-feet of water to the Lower Basin. That amount is already reduced from the historical delivery obligation due to low flows on the river. … ”  Read more from the Gazette here: Colorado River flows will plummet this water year to 24% of normal: Bureau

Commentary: Should Arizona pursue a deal to buy a giant amount of water? We have 4 days to decide

Columnist Joanna Allhands writes, “Private investors want Arizona’s blessing for what could become the largest ocean desalination plant in North America.  The Arizona Water Project Solution Team, a nebulous consortium of companies, and IDE Technologies, an Israel-based company that has developed some of the world’s largest desalination plants, are proposing to build a plant near Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, that could eventually pipe a million acre-feet of water annually into the state.  That’s a little less than what the Central Arizona Project is expected to deliver to cities and tribes this year. Or almost six times as much water as a potential water recycling project in Los Angeles might produce. Or nearly 18 times as much as the nation’s largest desalination plant now delivers to San Diego.  But time is of the essence, the investors say. They need to know this week whether Arizona is interested. … ”  Read more from the Arizona Daily Star here: Should Arizona pursue a deal to buy a giant amount of water? We have 4 days to decide

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In national water news today …

Q&A: Environmental attorneys weigh in on PFAS lawsuits

When it comes to drinking water contaminants like per and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), many water industry associations, including the American Water Works Association and the Water Environment Federation, do not think that water utilities should be left with the cleanup bill.  Instead, they are lobbying regulators to hold polluters accountable and make the manufacturers of PFAS and the products that contained them pay for these expenses, including the costly treatment facilities that are expected to be operational for decades.  Attorneys Kenneth Sansone and Michael DiGiannantonio of SL Environmental Law Group (SL) focus exclusively on representing public entities in litigation over the contamination of public resources including water, land and other natural resources. Here, they weigh in on some of the questions they often get asked by water providers. … ”  Read more from Water Finance & Management here:  Q&A: Environmental attorneys weigh in on PFAS lawsuits

In historic deal, countries agree to protect 30 percent of earth to halt biodiversity loss

Nearly 200 countries have pledged to protect 30 percent of the Earth’s land and sea by the end of this decade as part of a historic deal that aims to stem the rising tide of extinctions. Delegates agreed to the target early Monday in the final hours of the UN biodiversity conference in Montreal.  “We have in our hands a package which I think can guide us as we all work together to halt and reverse biodiversity loss and put biodiversity on the path to recovery for the benefit of all people in the world,” China’s environment minister Huang Runqiu told the delegates. “We can be truly proud.”  As part of the watershed deal, countries are also aiming to cut fertilizer runoff from farms by 50 percent, reduce the risk of of pesticides by 50 percent, and stem the flow of invasive species, while putting $200 billion annually toward biodiversity by the end of this decade. … ”  Read more from Yale e360 here: In historic deal, countries agree to protect 30 percent of earth to halt biodiversity loss

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More news and commentary in the weekend edition …

This weekend in California water news …

  • Yosemite. Photo by
    Aurélien Baudoin.

    Tribes accuse California water board of discrimination and urge EPA oversight of Bay-Delta

  • Tribes decry Klamath water proposal
  • Bureau of Reclamation plans to set aside a twenty-two year-old agreement on Trinity River; Hoopa Valley Tribe files for injunction
  • California Drought: Exceptionally dry conditions drop by nearly half
  • How states across the West are using cloud seeding to make it rain
  • New state program will pay to keep groundwater in the ground
  • California plan proposes billions to protect Central Valley from mega flooding
  • Feather River Fish Hatchery to increase production of fall-run chinook salmon to combat impacts of drought, thiamine deficiency
  • $11 for a head of California lettuce? Here’s what’s behind the shortage causing ‘outrageous’ prices
  • ‘Game-changer’ satellite launched from California will measure most of the water on earth
  • New Marin Municipal Water District board takes look at supply options
  • Desert groundwater agency mulls how to get water from San Joaquin Valley
  • LA River: Using fossils to bring a river covered in concrete back to life
  • ‘This is going to be painful’: States are on the clock for big Colorado River cutbacks
  • And more …

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Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

SAN JOAQUIN RIVER RESTORATION PROGRAM increases Restoration Flows during winter

NEW RESOURCE: Drought Resilient Communities Toolkit

DELTA STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL: Notice of Modification of Delta Levee Investment Strategy Economic and Fiscal Impact Statement

NOTICE: Participatory Science/Remote Sensing/Wetlands Workshop on January 9

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About the Daily Digest: The Daily Digest is a collection of selected news articles, commentaries and editorials appearing in the mainstream press. Items are generally selected to follow the focus of the Notebook blog. The Daily Digest is published every weekday with a weekend edition posting on Sundays.

 

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