DAILY DIGEST, holiday weekend edition: Atmospheric rivers end drought year with heavy snow and rain, boost snowpack as first snow survey nears; Researchers examine factors impacting Sierra Nevada snowpack; EPA and Army Corps finalize rule establishing definition of WOTUS; and more …

California storms …

Miracle or mirage? Atmospheric rivers end California drought year with heavy snow and rain.

“After the driest start to any year on record, California will end 2022 with snow-capped mountains, soaked roadways and — in some places — flood warnings.  The soggy end to an otherwise bone-dry year came as something of a surprise. Only weeks earlier, officials sounded the alarm about a rare third appearance of La Niña — a climate pattern in the tropical Pacific that is often associated with dry conditions in the state. On Thursday, skiers in Mammoth enjoyed some of the deepest snow in the nation, while in Los Angeles, a steady drizzle signaled stronger storms to come.  Officials said the parade of atmospheric rivers dousing the state will probably continue in the days ahead, providing a glimmer of optimism after a year marked by water restrictions, drying wells and perilous lows on the Colorado River. But though California’s wet season has defied expectations so far, the pattern must persist to truly undo several years of significant rain deficits. … ”  Read more from the LA Times here: Miracle or mirage? Atmospheric rivers end California drought year with heavy snow and rain. | Read via Yahoo News

Atmospheric river to trigger flooding, ease drought in California

“An atmospheric river of moisture from the Pacific Ocean is aiming directly at drought-stricken California and other parts of the West, AccuWeather meteorologists say. The sizable storm will unleash heavy rain that will replenish reservoirs and raise the risk of flooding and will produce heavy snow in the mountains through the New Year’s holiday weekend.  Even though a long train of storms from the Pacific will continue to roll ashore through early January, there is the potential for the major storm to unload 8-16 inches of rain in a narrow zone of Northern and Central California during the final days of 2022.  In some locations, an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ rainfall of 20 inches will be possible with the storm, and much of that rain is likely to fall over a 24-hour stretch from Friday night to Saturday night. … ”  Read more from AccuWeather here: Atmospheric river to trigger flooding, ease drought in California

The Northern California forecast calls for repeated rainstorms. Here’s what water managers say about the potential for flooding

“December marked the start of the heart of the rainy season in Northern California.  In 2022, the atmosphere is following along with the calendar. Since Sunday, many spots in the Valley have seen close to 2 inches of rainfall, with more than twice that in the Foothills, and more rain is in the forecast for Friday and Saturday.  Repeated rounds of rainfall are what water managers and hydrologists expect this time of year. That’s why they say they’re preparing for but not overly concerned about the possibility of localized flooding through the weekend.  Bill Rasch is a part of the hydrology forecasting team with the National Weather Service office in Sacramento. He and his team are monitoring things like reservoir storage and the temperature of incoming weather systems to help highlight any possible concerns. For now, the team is focused on Friday and Saturday’s rounds of rain. … ”  Read more from KCRA here: The Northern California forecast calls for repeated rainstorms. Here’s what water managers say about the potential for flooding

SEE ALSO:

• No rest for the dreary: Another atmospheric river aims to soak California, from Fox News
• Northern California forecast: Wet weather returns, prompting some flood concerns for Friday, from KCRA
• The science behind atmospheric river storms, explained, from the San Francisco Chronicle | Similar story from Fox 40

In other California water news this weekend …

Storms boost snowpack as first survey nears

“Reporters who slog through a meadow near Lake Tahoe next week for California’s first manual snow survey of the season will find copious amounts of snow.  The state Department of Water Resources’ electronic readings on Dec. 29 showed a statewide snowpack at 156% of normal as a persistent parade of storm clouds has pelted the West Coast in December.  The statewide snow-water equivalent is more than half the average for April 1, considered the peak of snow season. Snow levels in the southern Sierra Nevada are at 187% of normal. … ”  Read more from the Western Farm Press here: Storms boost snowpack as first survey nears

Thanks to winter storm, Lake Oroville and Shasta Lake see positive jump in water levels

“The Northstate is experiencing a needed winter storm this week and the excess rainfall is already yielding positive results for two primary water resources: Lake Oroville and Shasta Lake.  According to the California Department of Water Resources (CDWR) website, Lake Oroville is currently 683 feet high; up over 10 feet since Monday afternoon. That’s a tremendous jump and an encouraging sign for Butte County, but the lake is still nearly 30 feet lower than it was on this date last year. On top of that, the water is only at 32% of its capacity and 61% of the historical average for this date. … ”  Read more from KRCR here: Thanks to winter storm, Lake Oroville and Shasta Lake see positive jump in water levels

‘Extra winter’s worth of precipitation’ needed to bust California drought, scientist says

“Some western residents are breathing a sigh of relief after recent atmospheric river storms have drenched the drought-parched region, and more are on the way. However, scientists caution that it is too early to celebrate.  “At this point in time, we still have another four or five months in our snow season and in our typical rainy season,” said Andrew Schwartz, lead scientist at the Central Sierra Snow Lab. “That means that while we’re kind of scoring the touchdown in the first quarter of the game. Right now, we still have three-quarters left, and there’s a lot that can happen.”  He points to the record-breaking snow amounts the lab recorded last December. The Soda Springs, California, lab maintains one of the longest manual snow depth records in the world, dating back to 1879. The picture below is of the lab after over 17 inches of snow fell in Dec. 2021 – over half of the snow they usually get in a season. … ”  Read more from Fox News here: ‘Extra winter’s worth of precipitation’ needed to bust California drought, scientist says

Audio: How record snowfall could soften the 2023 drought season

“NPR’s Ari Shapiro talks with Andrew Schwartz of the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab about how record snowfall in western states could mean a less drought-ridden 2023.”  Listen at KVPR here (3:47): Audio: How record snowfall could soften the 2023 drought season

Snow study: Researchers examine factors impacting Sierra Nevada snowpack

“Eight of the top 10 warmest years on record occurred in the last decade. The snowline where rain turns to powder continues to move uphill. The dry season is longer than ever as wildfires ravage forests and communities. It’s a bleak outlook for the state of the Sierra Nevada snowpack, not to mention our planet as a whole.  But for scientists in California and Nevada, it’s about digging in and uncovering the unknowns of the climate change crisis impacting the mountains that are responsible for a third of the Golden State’s water and, in conjunction with the Rocky Mountains-fed Colorado River, 85% of the Silver State’s supply. In knowledge, they say, there is hope. … ”  Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune here: Snow study: Researchers examine factors impacting Sierra Nevada snowpack

CDFW awards $11 million for Fisheries Habitat Restoration Program projects

“The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) today announced the selection of 25 projects that will receive funding for the restoration, enhancement and protection of anadromous salmonid habitat in California watersheds.  The grants, which total $11 million, were awarded through CDFW’s Fisheries Restoration Grant Program (FRGP). FRGP was first established in 1981 and since 2000 has included funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, established by Congress to reverse the declines of Pacific salmon and steelhead throughout California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska.  “As California continually feels the effects of climate change, rising sea levels, prolonged drought, more extreme temperatures and extreme precipitation events, restoring degraded river ecosystems is more important than ever before,” CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham said. “These FRGP funded projects will help restore the refugia salmonids need.” … ”  Read more from the Department of Fish and Wildlife here: CDFW awards $11 million for Fisheries Habitat Restoration Program projects

Healing the land and themselves

“The land above California’s Russian River is pristine with its redwoods and swaths of old-growth forests, where northern spotted owls breed and Coho salmon swim in the creeks. And yet, when anthropology professor Myles Lennon looks out the offices of Shelterwood on his last day of his year-long sabbatical from Brown University, he also sees signs of trouble. “When I look out the window, I see among the redwoods palm trees and eucalyptus that should never be here.”  Lennon is in Northern California searching for answers to big questions: “How do young Black land stewards in the United States negotiate the ethical and political tensions of doing antiracist, decolonial work in outdoor spaces through property ownership in a settler colony built on racial capitalism? How do you own land when you don’t believe in land ownership? How do you liberate your livelihood from a system of labor you know you can’t ever escape?” … ”  Read more from Yes Magazine here: Healing the land and themselves

The collapse of water exports – Los Angeles, 1914

“In February, 1914, the rainfall in the Mojave Desert region exceeded by nearly fifty per cent in three days the average annual precipitation.  Where the steel siphon crosses Antelope valley at the point of greatest depression, an arroyo or run-off wash indicated that fifteen feet was the extreme width of the flood stream, and the pipe was carried over the wash on concrete piers set just outside the high water lines. The February rain, however, was of the sort known as a cloud-burst, and the flood widened the wash to fifty feet, carried away the concrete piers, and the pipe sagged and broke at a circular seam. … ”  Read more from the California Water Blog here:  The Collapse of Water Exports – Los Angeles, 1914

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In regional water news this weekend …

NORTH COAST

Video: Klamath River dams removal timeline: fall decision brings removals in next two years

“On November 19, 2022, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the license transfer of four dams on the Klamath River. That transfer means that Energy company, PacifiCorp, no longer owns the four dams. Ownership now belongs to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, who has been transparent in their plans to removed the dams by the end of 2024.  The four dams that will be removed are the Iron Gate, Copco 1, Copco 2, and John C. Boyle dams.”  Watch video at Channel 12 here (2:57) here: Video: Klamath River dams removal timeline: fall decision brings removals in next two years

Video:  Klamath dam removal political impacts part 2

“The fight for dam removal and restoration in the Klamath River has gone on for nearly two decades. But now, that fight has come to an end.  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave its greenlight on Nov. 19 to move forward with the removal process of four dams on the river.  Newswatch 12 spoke to tribal, state and federal officials about what this decision means, as well as local residents about how they will be impacted by the dam removal process.”  Watch video from Channel 12 here (3:59): Video:  Klamath dam removal political impacts part 2

MOUNTAIN COUNTIES

Stormy end of year at Lake Tahoe; More systems stacking up in 2023

“This year will end at Lake Tahoe with a warm, wet multi-day storm that will bring heavy, high elevation snow and mostly rain to the basin.  Officials say that the active weather pattern will last well into the new year, into the second week of January.  The National Weather Service in Reno on Thursday upgraded to a winter storm warning that lasts through 4 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 1, for up to 5 feet of snow above 8,000 feet, 1 to 3 feet above 7,000 feet and 1 to 5 inches at lake level.  An avalanche warning is in effect through 7 a.m. Sunday for the storm packing gale force winds and rain on snow followed by high intensity snowfall could result in large, widespread, destructive slides.  Strong winds will gust up to 50 mph with 100 mph or more possible for Sierra ridges. … ”  Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune here: Stormy end of year at Lake Tahoe; More systems stacking up in 2023

Driving may be ‘impossible’ as atmospheric river heads for Tahoe

“If you are planning to drive in or out of the Tahoe region over the next few days, it’s time to seriously reconsider those plans.The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for the Tahoe area from Thursday evening to late Saturday. They’re forecasting 1 to 3 feet of “heavy snow” in the mountains above 7,000 feet and 1 to 5 inches below 6,500 feet. It will also be very windy: 45 mph gusts are expected around the basin and 100 mph gusts may hit the mountain ridges. The wind will make for choppy conditions on Lake Tahoe, so boaters should take heed and stay off the water this holiday weekend. … ”  Read more from SF Gate here: Driving may be ‘impossible’ as atmospheric river heads for Tahoe

Historic state budget investments protect communities, watersheds, and hospital

“In early 2021, just two months after receiving funds as part of the state’s landmark budget commitment to wildfire resilience, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) invested in 15 critical fuels-reduction projects aimed at reducing the threat of destructive wildfires. Less than 1.5 years later, two of those projects, the Quincy Wildfire Protection Project and the Wagner Ridge Fuel Break Project, are already finished, providing much-needed protection to forested landscapes, watersheds, communities, and even an essential small-town hospital.  While all of the 15 shovel-ready projects across the Sierra Nevada funded by the SNC are expected to wrap up by December 2024, the fuels-reduction work in Quincy and on Wagner Ridge between Mariposa and Tuolumne counties were completed this fall. … ”  Read more from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy here: Historic state budget investments protect communities, watersheds, and hospital

SYRCL’s salmon expeditions gets bigger and better in 2022

“Every fall, the South Yuba River Citizens League takes local students on a float trip down the lower Yuba River to teach them about Chinook salmon, the Yuba River watershed, the impacts of the Gold Rush, and the role restoration plays in the protection of our river. The 2022 season was the biggest one to date, with 1,867 students, teachers, parents, and community members participating in our trips.   Thanks to continued grant funding from the Yuba Water Agency, SYRCL Salmon Expeditions continued to expand the program and bring more Yuba County 4th grade students on a field trip cost free! This year, 1,024 Yuba County 4th graders, teachers, and parent chaperones participated in a field trip. In 2021, Yuba Water Agency funding allowed SYRCL to purchase Teva sandals to loan to students who do not have adequate shoes for the river. This year, funding allowed SYRCL to expand the gear loaner program to purchase additional Teva sandals in smaller sizes, fleece jackets, and rain jackets to loan students during cold and rainy trips. Each Yuba County 4th grader also received a reusable water bottle for the field trip. … ”  Continue reading at the SYRCL website here: SYRCL’s salmon expeditions gets bigger and better in 2022

Utica Water And Power to debut video showcasing water history

“Utica Water and Power Authority have completed a new video that traces the history of Utica back to 1852, highlighting the water supply system for Murphys and Angels Camp, which was built by gold miners in the 1850s and is still in use today. The public is invited to attend a free premiere of the video at 6 p.m. on Monday, January 9th at the Bret Harte Theater in Angels Camp. … ”  Read more from My Mother Lode here: Utica Water And Power to debut video showcasing water history

SACRAMENTO VALLEY

The Nature Conservancy: Balancing people and nature on the Sacramento River

“The reach of The Nature Conservancy is global, with projects that range from pristine habitat preservation in Equatorial Africa to promoting regenerative agriculture in Northwest India to protecting old growth forests in Clayoquot Sound in British Columbia. Right here in our own backyard, along the Sacramento River, there are two projects which demonstrate the principles and practices that guide TNC: commitment to sound science and meticulous scientific research; painstaking outreach to the people affected by the projects so that their needs are included in project design; dedication to creating landscapes that mimic those of pre-development status for wildlife habitat values; and recognition that current projects must take into account future challenges presented by climate change.  In a recent interview, Ryan Luster, TNC senior project director, described these two local Sacramento River projects, and explained what TNC has accomplished along our stretch of the river. … ”  Read the full story at the Chico Enterprise-Record here: The Nature Conservancy: Balancing people and nature on the Sacramento River

BAY AREA

Rain-soaked soil means Bay Area should brace for some flooding and landslides, forecasters say

“The Bay Area should brace for another soaking Friday and Saturday with a major storm system settling that is raising flooding and landslide concerns given that the region’s soil already absorbed rain from another storm earlier this week.   Both the National Weather Service and U.S. Geological Survey have found that soil saturation is expected to set off a domino effect that leads to an elevated risk of shallow landslides, particularly on Saturday.  “You can’t just keep adding water to the soils when the soils are full,” said Brian Garcia, a meteorologist at the Bay Area’s National Weather Service station in Monterey. “That becomes runoff, putting more water in rivers, creeks and streams and in the watershed. We’re going to see higher rises than what we saw in the last system.” … ”  Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Rain-soaked soil means Bay Area should brace for some flooding and landslides, forecasters say

Beavers are making a comeback in the San Francisco Bay Area

“The recent discovery of two beavers sighted along Matadero Creek in Palo Alto could be a sign of a major comeback for the species in the Bay Area.Naturalist Bill Leikam, who is the co-founder and president of the Urban Wildlife Research Project, captured trail camera footage of the semiaquatic rodents wandering along the waterway late last month, as the Mercury News first reported. He set up the cameras after he had been tipped off by a resident who claimed to have seen one while they were meditating on the side of the creek, and sure enough, there they were — a male and a female. Now, Leikam treks along the waterway twice a day to check the cameras and scour the beavers’ new home for signs of their whereabouts, finding clues in the form of paw prints in the mud and tooth marks on ash trees. He’s hopeful the pair could help reestablish the species’ population in the area. … ”  Continue reading at SF Gate here: Beavers are making a comeback in the San Francisco Bay Area

CENTRAL COAST

Every cloud has a silver-iodide lining

“With most of California now entering the fourth year of drought and the state’s major reservoirs starting to display bathtub rings where water used to be, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted to spend $370,000 to dope passing rain clouds with silver iodide to better get every drop of rain possible.  Cloud seeding, as it is known, dates back to 1950 in Santa Barbara, but the county’s Water Agency has been involved in the program since 1981. The money will go to a private contractor — North American Weather Consultants — which in turn will launch the silver iodide into fertile cloud formations over the next three months either by dropping it out of airplanes or launching flares from ground-based locations. Of the two methods, the latter is the least risky and simplest to do. … ”  Read more from the Santa Barbara Independent here: Every cloud has a silver-iodide lining

SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY

Knights Ferry Bridge rehab

“Knights Ferry Bridge — the longest covered wooden bridge west of the Mississippi River — is being closed for repairs.  The Army Corps of Engineers is closing the bridge today.  The closure follows a structural analysis that determined significant wood deterioration has compromised the stability of the 330-foot historic covered bridge.  The bridge will be closed to pedestrian traffic for an undetermined amount of time until either temporary supports are installed or full rehabilitation of the bridge is completed. … ”  Read more from the Manteca Bulletin here: Knights Ferry Bridge rehab

Buckets of rain in store for Fresno until mid-January

“Coming days and weeks could deliver huge amounts of precipitation to the Central Valley and Sierra, according to forecast models.  The Global Forecast System anticipates a blanket of participation over the next seven days for California. And, the Valley floor, foothills, and Southern Sierra are expected to get the biggest drenching.  In fact, NOAA’s Quantitative Precipitation Forecast indicates that the Central Valley’s river basins could receive 15 to 20 inches over the next week. QPF represents the amount of liquid measured when the precipitation melts. … ”  Read more from GV Wire here: Buckets of rain in store for Fresno until mid-January

Large herd of nutria recently trapped in Mendota Wildlife Area

“The state has spent the past five years tracking a destructive pest to California agriculture.  The nutria is a big rodent that thrives in wetlands and wildlife areas.  Recently a big herd of nutria was detected in Fresno County.  The Mendota wildlife area is roughly 50 miles west of Fresno. Scientists knew there were nutria in the water but the amount they’ve trapped so far surprised them.  Nutria were first detected in Central California in 2017. They feed on vegetation and crops. The big rodent can also destroy the banks of ditches, lakes, and other bodies of water. … ”  Read more from KMJ here: Large herd of nutria recently trapped in Mendota Wildlife Area

EASTERN SIERRA

Ridgecrest:  Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority final meeting of the year: Water import pipeline, board assignments, contracts, and lawsuits

“The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority held its final board meeting of the year on December 14, closing out on several important tasks and setting the stage for 2023.  At this meeting, IWVGA discussed topics ranging from lawsuits to pipeline alignments. They also agreed upon necessary end-of-year tasks such as renewing contracts and confirmed board assignments for 2023.  The meeting began with a a session closed to the public so the IWVGA board and staff could discuss ongoing litigation. Before they closed the session, they took public comment, during which time Ridgecrest resident Renee Westa-Lusk called to ask for a point of clarification.Westa-Lusk said that she’s heard people in the public and on the board of the Indian Wells Valley Water District criticize the IWVGA because it’s spending so much on lawyers and lawsuits. However, she said that her understanding is the IWVGA had no choice because these lawsuits were forced on the IWVGA. … ”  Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent here: Ridgecrest:  Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority final meeting of the year: Water import pipeline, board assignments, contracts, and lawsuits

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Ballona Wetlands restoration project approved, activists ‘outraged’

“The California Coastal Commission unanimously voted to approve two permits that would allow early work on the Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project to proceed, and activists against the project said it felt like a “slap in the face.” Lisa Levinson with In Defense of Animals said members of the group were denied the opportunity to speak at this month’s hearing and were told, “we got all of the public comment that we really, truly needed,” by Coastal Commission Chair Donne Brownsey. According to Levinson she, Ballona wetlands activist Marcia Hanscom and environmental scientist Robert Roy van de Hoek all prepared and submitted power point presentations the day before the meeting and were all denied comment. … ”  Read more from The Patch here: Ballona Wetlands restoration project approved, activists ‘outraged’

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Along the Colorado River …

‘The brink of disaster’: 2023 is a critical year for the Colorado River as reservoirs sink toward ‘dead pool’

“Deep uncertainty looms over the Colorado River and the 40 million people who depend on it for their water supply as the basin enters a critical year that could determine its future stability.  Plagued by decades of overuse and human-caused climate change, demand for the river’s water has vastly outpaced its supply. In 2023, federal and state officials must find a way to keep as much as 4 million acre-feet of water in Lakes Mead and Powell – 30% of what the Colorado River states have historically used.  Failing to do so means either of these lakes, the largest manmade reservoirs in the country, could reach “dead pool” in the next two years, where the water level is too low to flow through the dams and downstream to the communities and farmers that need it. … ”  Read more from CNN here: ‘The brink of disaster’: 2023 is a critical year for the Colorado River as reservoirs sink toward ‘dead pool’

How Colorado River cities are preparing for shortages with conservation and alternate sources

“Cities alone cannot overcome the deepening water shortage that a warming climate and overuse have wrought on the Southwest, not when most of the water is used on farms. Even cutting off all of the cities that rely on that source would not reverse the disastrous trajectory the region’s reservoirs have been on for years, a fact repeated by multiple officials at an annual Las Vegas conference of the Colorado River Water Users Association this month.  But those same officials from across the watershed also insist the crisis requires sacrifices from “every state, every sector,” which puts pressure on urban water providers to adapt rapidly.  Long a regional leader in safeguarding its scant water supplies, the Las Vegas area is kicking its mandatory conservation efforts into overdrive as the Colorado’s decline sends the entire Southwest into crisis mode. … ”  Read more from the Arizona Republic here: How Colorado River cities are preparing for shortages with conservation and alternate sources

Time to reduce water use, Nevada tells upper Colorado River basin states

“The organization managing Nevada’s share of the Colorado River water suggested the time has come for Colorado and its upper Colorado River basin neighbors to contribute water to help alleviate the looming disasters at Lake Powell and Lake Mead.  In a Dec. 20 letter to Tanya Trujillo, assistant secretary for water and science at the U.S. Department of the Interior, the The Southern Nevada Water Authority suggested the upper basin states — Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico — should be required to reduce water use by 500,000 acre-feet, with that water released to Lake Powell.  The reduction would take place whenever Lake Powell is projected to begin a calendar year with water levels at or below 3,550 feet.  As of Dec. 28, Lake Powell is already below that level, at 3,524 feet. The lake hasn’t been above 3,550 feet since August 2021 according to the US Geological Survey. ... ”  Continue reading at Colorado Politics here: Time to reduce water use, Nevada tells upper Colorado River basin states

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In national water news this weekend …

Biden WOTUS rule revives decades-old protections

“The Biden administration today finalized its definition of which wetlands and waterways are protected by the Clean Water Act.  The rule from EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers largely revives a definition of “waters of the United States,” or WOTUS, coined during the Reagan-era, updated to accommodate limits the Supreme Court has placed on federal jurisdiction during the intervening 36 years.  The latest definition is an effort by the Biden administration to find a “durable” solution for protecting wetlands and streams — an issue that has been hotly debated since the Clean Water Act’s passage in 1972. Through the years, the question has triggered regulatory back-and-forth, intense lobbying, and legal and political brawls among developers and agricultural and environmental groups.  “It’s grounded in our longstanding authority provided by Congress, and we really learned from the 45 years of implementation as we developed this final rule so [it] balances the needs for clean water protections with the needs of all water users,” she said in an interview. “I think we found that middle ground and that place with this rule.” … ”  Read more from E&E News here: Biden WOTUS rule revives decades-old protections

SEE ALSO:  EPA and Army Finalize Rule Establishing Definition of WOTUS and Restoring Fundamental Water Protections, press release from the EPA

Understanding new PFAS rules for water

“Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are found in many consumer products, as well as in soils and drinking water. These so-called “forever chemicals” earned their nickname thanks to their negligible degradation in the environment. As concerns about PFAS exposures grow, both consumers and regulators alike have begun calling on industry and utilities to reduce or limit PFAS in tap water and commonly used items, such as cosmetics, personal care products, and food packaging.  However, the flurry of proposed new rules, combined with ongoing legal challenges and uncertainties, have left many in the drinking water community confused about what it all means for the industry. To answer some common questions, I sat down with two PFAS experts: Craig Butt, PhD, Manager, Applied Markets, Global Technical Marketing at SCIEX, and Christopher Higgins, PhD, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. … ”  Continue reading at Water Online here: Understanding new PFAS rules for water

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