In California water news today …
Storms headed for California to boost already healthy snowpack
“After a mostly dry February, California may see a return of stormy weather over the next week — a welcome addition to a snowpack that will bring some relief to the historic drought. The Western Regional Climate Center reported Thursday that despite a relatively slow February for snowfall, a deep snowpack that began accumulating during three weeks of relentless storms last month has grown stronger in California and the Great Basin. “Following the strong atmospheric rivers earlier this winter, small-to-moderate storms with less moisture have resulted in smaller but continued snow water equivalent gains,” the office reported, adding that snow water equivalent measurements across the West are near or at record highs for this date. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
SEE ALSO:
- Heavy snow likely next week in West as winter eyes return, from Fox Weather
- Snowpack continues to grow in California, Colorado River Basin, from The Hill
- How does California drought compare to last week and when will it rain? Maps show latest, from the Sacramento Bee
California water agencies hoped a deluge would recharge their aquifers. But when it came, some couldn’t use it
“It was exactly the sort of deluge California groundwater agencies have been counting on to replenish their overworked aquifers. The start of 2023 brought a parade of torrential Pacific storms to bone dry California. Snow piled up across the Sierra Nevada at a near-record pace while runoff from the foothills gushed into the Central Valley, swelling rivers over their banks and filling seasonal creeks for the first time in half a decade. Suddenly, water managers and farmers toiling in one of the state’s most groundwater-depleted regions had an opportunity to capture stormwater and bank it underground. Enterprising agencies diverted water from rushing rivers and creeks into manmade recharge basins or intentionally flooded orchards and farmland. Others snagged temporary permits from the state to pull from streams they ordinarily couldn’t touch. Yet not everyone was able to fully capitalize on Mother Nature’s gift. … ” Read more from Western Water.
‘The biggest challenge human civilization has had to face’: What California’s big winter storms mean for the future
“For three weeks after Christmas, California was pounded with a series of nine atmospheric river storms. The drenching rains replenished reservoirs that had been seriously depleted during three years of severe drought. But they also caused flooding from the Central Valley to Santa Barbara, triggering mudslides, sinkholes and power outages, and left 22 people dead. Along the coast, big waves ripped a 40-foot hole in the Capitola Wharf, destroyed facilities at Seacliff Beach State Park, flooded homes, wrecked businesses and caused millions of dollars in erosion. For the past 55 years, Gary Griggs, a Distinguished Professor of Earth Sciences at UC Santa Cruz, has studied big storms, sea level rise and California’s changing coastline. UCSC’s longest-serving professor, he is one of the nation’s experts in the ways oceans reshape the land. This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity and length. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
USACE adds 4th public workshop to discuss proposed Delta Conveyance Project
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District will host its fourth public workshop discussing the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Delta Conveyance Project on March 1 in Stockton. The 90-minute open house-style workshop will allow the public an opportunity to learn more about USACE’s review of the Delta Conveyance Project, including what the proposed project entails, USACE’s role on the proposed project, and the process USACE follows for assessing permit applications. Attendees will also be able to ask questions to USACE subject matter experts and provide public comments on the Draft EIS that is currently out for public review until March 16, 2023. No formal presentation will be given during the open house workshop. … ” Read more from the Army Corps.
Why California was hit with unusually cold weather despite planet’s extreme warmth
“Most of the Eastern United States is in the midst of extreme warmth this winter season, with snowfall levels in cities like Chicago and New York running below average for this time of the year. But that’s been far from the case on the West Coast, where dangerous cold snaps and astronomical snowfall have been the standard this season. In fact, California is one of just a handful of places on the planet that experienced cool, below-average temperatures in January. So, why exactly did California end up on the cooler side of the equation? … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle (gift article).
California’s frigid February: Beach freeze warnings, record lows, ‘very treacherous’
“After an epic January of rains, California’s winter has turned decidedly chilly. The state has experienced record-low temperatures from Eureka down to San Diego County, with wind chill dropping into the single digits in some Southern California mountain towns and freeze warnings spanning the Northern California coastline. The cold conditions have kept Southern California’s mountain peaks topped with thick, bright layers of snow even without significant precipitation in several weeks. Officials hope the low temperatures are enough to maintain the essential snowpack in the Sierra, built up during the extremely wet start of the year in the state. “We’re not melting the snow, which is good,” said meteorologist Ryan Aylward, with the National Weather Service in Eureka. “We want it to hold on as long as we can.” … ” Read more from the LA Times.
CalTrout sponsors bill for coastal watershed climate resilience
“The California Salmon and Steelhead Coalition, a partnership comprised of California Trout, The Nature Conservancy, and Trout Unlimited, welcomes the introduction of AB 1272, which will lay the groundwork for creating a more climate-resilient future for native fish and water supplies in coastal California. The bill, introduced by Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg), would direct the State Water Resources Control Board and California Department of Fish and Wildlife to work together to develop principles and guidelines for the diversion and use of water in coastal watersheds during times of water shortage, for the purpose of enhancing drought preparedness and climate resiliency. Developing dry-year water management plans at the watershed level will enable water users and stakeholders to create drought response measures that are tailored to local conditions and inform future investments in watershed health and water supply reliability. … ” Read more from Cal Trout.
Newsom wants to waive environmental rules in the Delta amid drought worries
“As January’s drenching storms have given way to an unseasonably dry February, Gov. Gavin Newsom is seeking to waive environmental rules in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in an effort to store more water in reservoirs — a move that is drawing heated criticism from environmental advocates who say the action will imperil struggling fish populations. In an executive order signed Monday, Newsom directed the State Water Resources Control Board to “consider modifying requirements” for California’s two water conveyance systems in the Delta, the State Water Project and the federally operated Central Valley Project. “While recent storms have helped replenish the state’s reservoirs and boosted snowpack, drought conditions continue to have significant impacts on communities with vulnerable water supplies, agriculture and the environment,” an announcement of the order read. “Until it is clear what the remainder of the wet season will hold, the executive order includes provisions to protect water reserves.” … ” Read more from the LA Times.
SEE ALSO:
- After flushing stormwater, Newsom signs order to boost water flow to Valley, from the San Joaquin Valley Sun
- California Governor Issues Executive Order on ‘Water Resilience’ Amid Flood of Criticism, from the Epoch Times
- Executive Order to Keep More Water Supplies in the Delta, from Ag Net West
River diversion could be a solution to Western drought, but is it realistic?
“To many, it may seem that there is an easy solution to growing drought in the Western U.S.: Why not just redirect water from where it is prevalent to where it is most needed? Last year, for instance, the idea of a pipeline for transporting water from the Mississippi River to Lake Powell gained significant traction. And legislators have seriously explored the idea as well. “Over the years, a proposed solution (to Western drought) has come up again and again: large-scale river diversions, including pumping Mississippi River water to the parched west,” the Associated Press reported. “Most recently, the Arizona state legislature passed a measure in 2021 urging Congress to investigate pumping flood water from the Mississippi River to the Colorado River to bolster its flow.” But even as the idea of diverting water across the country once again gains momentum, the logistical costs remain challenging to overcome. … ” Read more from Water Online.
In commentary today …
Editorial: Newsom’s drought order amid wet winter threatens iconic California species
The LA Times editorial board writes, “Chinook salmon can’t swim in atmospheric rivers. The iconic migratory California fish need actual rivers — the ones that run through the landscape, carrying juvenile salmon downstream in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River system, through the delta, past the powerful pumps that divert water to aqueducts for agricultural and residential use, across the San Francisco Bay and into the Pacific Ocean. The fish live in the Pacific for several years and grow enough flesh and fat to battle their way back upriver to spawn, so their young can renew the cycle — if there’s enough water for the journey. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Gavin Newsom orders state agencies to weaken salmon protections; Claims drought emergency while reservoirs fill
“In a harsh blow to salmon recovery efforts, Governor Gavin Newsom has bowed to the will of factory farm operators in the Central Valley and invited his water managers to waive state law aimed at protecting salmon and other species. Newsom issued an executive order on February 13 authorizing the State Water Control Board to waive legally required freshwater flows through the Delta. Without this water, salmon survival will plummet. The executive order was immediately followed by a request from the state’s Dept. of Water Resources (DWR) for such a waiver. DWR’s request admits that cutting Delta outflow will harm salmon saying it will harm, “… survival of juvenile Chinook salmon and steelhead migrating from the Sacramento River basin during February and March 2023 …” DWR says their increased pumping will suck baby salmon off their natural migration path and into the interior Delta, a well-documented death zone for them. … ” Read the full press release from the Golden Gate Salmon Association.
Does California have a ‘lead in drinking water’ problem?
Ellen Lee, Drinking Water Equity Advocate for the NRDC, writes, “It has been nearly eight years since the Flint water crisis and yet we continue to see how lead-contaminated drinking water threatens human health and disproportionately impacts vulnerable communities across the country. As headlines of lead in drinking water continue to make news in the Midwest and in northeastern cities, it may be surprising to some to learn that right here in California, we have our own issues with lead in drinking water as well. In 2016, Fresno residents were concerned about “rusty, discolored water” coming from their pipes. Nearly 14% of children tested in one Fresno neighborhood had reported high lead levels, 25% of schools in Fresno reported finding lead coming from their drinking water fountains, and 40 homes had lead levels above the federal limit. … ” Continue reading at the NRDC.
In regional water news and commentary today …
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
California’s snow storms have Tahoe ski resorts poised for big Presidents Day weekend
“The slopes are ready. Are you? Ski resorts in the greater Lake Tahoe area have faced formidable challenges in recent years including California’s drought, warming climate, the COVID-19 pandemic and devastating wildfires. But now, fresh off weeks of unrelenting atmospheric rivers that dumped feet of snow in the mountains, those resorts can now cash in. Powder is fresh, with snow showers earlier this week topping off the mountains ahead of Presidents Day weekend – and without any serious storms in the forecast that would render mountain travel dangerous, as had been the case throughout for much of late December and the first three weeks of January. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
Washoe Tribe signs agreement to co-manage lands with California State Parks
“Sierra State Parks Foundation announced this week an agreement between the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California and the Sierra District of California State Parks. Chairman of the Washoe Tribe Serrell Smokey and California State Parks Director Armando Quintero signed a memorandum of understanding between the Sierra District and the Tribe on a brisk, sunny morning at Donner Memorial State Park on Saturday, Jan. 28. This five-year agreement formalizes the government-to-government relationship between the two entities, establishes a protocol for open discussions, and outlines the responsibilities of State Parks and the Tribe to promote successful cooperation, co-management, and collaboration for the mutual benefit of the Washoe Tribe and State Parks. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Some levees in Sacramento County will cost millions to fix after storms. Why hasn’t FEMA helped?
“Multiple levee breaches in southern Sacramento County caused by severe flooding during winter storms are posing a problem for a small agency in charge of maintaining its stretch of levees along the Cosumnes River in Wilton. Reclamation District 800, the agency that maintains the 34-mile stretch of levees, said that if the federal government does not help with funding for repairs, it fears it will not be able to continue as an agency. According to district members, a stretch of levees in the area suffered three breaks, boils and overtopping during the winter storms. Patrick Ervin, P.E., an engineer for RD 800, estimates long-term repairs could be up to $50 million. … ” Read more from KCRA.
SEE ALSO: Rural Sacramento community with history of flooding faces massive repairs, from KCRA
CENTRAL COAST
Winter storms filled Santa Barbara County reservoirs, but groundwater and flooding challenges remain
“Last month the Central Coast was hit with heavy rainfall, filling Santa Barbara County’s reservoirs and nearly overflowing its creeks. This week, local officials assessed the impacts. Walter Rubalcava is the Deputy Director of Public Works. He said the January winter storm produced about 120% of the normal rainfall in Santa Barbara County for the entire year. During a presentation to the Montecito Planning Commission, he pointed to a picture of Lake Cachuma, one of the county’s reservoirs. “We went from about 35% full to 81% full in a 48 hour period, but we’ve had continuous inflow since then, so we’re right near a hundred percent right now. Jameson is near full as well,” Rubalcava said. … ” Read more from KCBX.
Research center moving to new site
“The University of California Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center – the site of popular school field trips, 4-H programs, a UC Master Gardener demonstration garden, and numerous research trials on crops and landscape plants – is moving to a new location on the west side of Camarillo. The center was established through an endowment bequeathed to the UC by Saticoy farmer Thelma Hansen, who sought to support university research and extension activities benefiting Ventura County. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press.
EASTERN SIERRA
A strong call for raising Mono Lake at State Water Board workshop
“Yesterday the California State Water Resources Control Board held a public workshop in response to the Mono Lake Committee’s request that the Board take emergency action in response to Mono Lake’s perilous low level. The five-hour workshop, which was attended by 365 people, added up to a strong case for the Board to initiate the hearing process necessary to direct more water to Mono Lake. After State Water Board staff introduced the Mono Lake issue, the Mono Lake Committee, Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (DWP), California Department of Fish & Wildlife (DFW), and the Mono Lake Kutzadika’a Tribe all made presentations. … The Committee’s presentation reviewed how the Board’s expectations for lake restoration have not been met, underscoring that the lake has only risen 25% of the way to the required lake level and is nine years overdue in getting there, while DWP has diverted all the water the Board expected it to and more. … ” Read more from the Mono Lake Committee.
LADWP Presentation to the State Water Board
LADWP SWRCB WORKSHOP 2.15.2023SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Las Virgenes area manages water restrictions from low state allocation
“With native groundwater long gone due to extreme droughts in the past decade, the Las Virgenes area — including Pepperdine — must import 100% of its drinking water, according to the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District’s (LVMWD) website. Importing water — and deciding who gets how much — involves the legal coordination of water districts and state governments to ensure this resource does not run dry. “That’s the problem I see with water, is that people view it as a property right, something that they’re entitled to,” said Shelley Saxer, Caruso School of Law Environmental Law professor. … ” Continue reading from the Pepperdine Graphic.
Changing the course?: what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what’s next for the Safe Clean Water Program
“LA Waterkeeper’s latest report, “Changing the Course?: What’s Worked, What Hasn’t, and What’s Next for the Safe Clean Water Program” assesses the first three years of Los Angeles County’s Safe Clean Water Program (SCWP). The program is funded by a voter-approved tax (2018’s Measure W) that raises about $280M per year, in perpetuity, to better manage urban and stormwater runoff. In just three years, LA County has gotten California’s (and one of the nation’s) most ambitious stormwater treatment and capture program off the ground. LA Waterkeeper’s report specifically examines one of three programs that comprise the SCWP, the Regional Program. To date, the SCWP’s Regional Program has funded 101 projects to the tune of $1 Billion. The program’s success has been uneven, but it has made significant strides, and has show the power and potential to serve community needs while strengthening our region’s water independence. … ” Access the report from LA Waterkeeper.
Stormwater program has helped fight the drought, but there’s a long way to go
“L.A. County voters passed Measure W back in 2018. Since then, the tax on impermeable pavement helps fund stormwater capture projects across the region. Now, more than four years later, a new report finds that the Safe Clean Water Program — which is made up of multiple committees that review and approve funding for projects — has helped significantly in clearing a backlog of city and county projects to improve local water quality and infrastructure and distributing more than $1 billion to primarily fund such projects. The report is from environmental non-profit L.A. Waterkeeper. … ” Read more from the LAist.
Along the Colorado River …
Cox says ‘divide’ exists but he hopes California will join Colorado River agreement
“Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said there is still a “divide” between California and the rest of the states that use the Colorado River; however, he’s also a “little more optimistic” that all of the Colorado River states can come to an agreement on a plan to reduce water use from the drought-affected river. The governor said that there was a “wonderful update” when the states met about the issue earlier this week, noting that it appears the biggest divide seems to be between California and Arizona, not California and the rest of the group, including Utah, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming. Mexico also has a share of the river. “I don’t know if that gap is huge. … Everyone else is pretty much in agreement on what needs to happen and when it should happen,” Cox said, of the current negotiations, during his monthly press conference with Utah media outlets on Thursday. “We’ve always been able to figure it out as states, and I hope we can do that.” … ” Read more from KSL.
Shrinking snowpack: What does it mean for reservoirs in the Colorado River Basin?
“Another week of freezing temperatures — but sunny skies — in the central Colorado Rockies won’t do much to help snowpack levels that feed the Colorado River. … Experts say climate change has affected the entire Colorado River Basin. They say there’s about 20% less water in the basin today than there was before the drought began, and caution that one year above normal snowpack levels won’t make much difference. They also warn against putting too much stock in measurements before April 6 — generally regarded as when snowpack levels reach their peak each year. … ” Read more from KLAS.
Arizona drought: New data shows improvement, but still no end in sight for long-term drought
“Recent data from the U.S. Drought Monitor show there’s improving drought conditions across Arizona, with a drought map showing about three-fourths of the state are not in drought conditions, and a very minor area of severe drought. The map compares favorably from a similar map in 2022, where much of the state with classified as abnormally dry or in a moderate drought. While the latest data is trending in the right direction, it does not mean Arizona is close to ending a long-term drought, as the Drought Monitor does not measure how much water is in reservoirs. … ” Read more from Channel 10.
SEE ALSO: Winter storms bring 200% above-average snowpack to Arizona, less along upper Colorado River, from Channel 12
Arizona has been banking groundwater for decades. Experts urge caution about using it
“The Colorado River has been in severe decline for years, in part, because a historic drought has reduced rainfall and snowpack. These are all factors above the river. However, the groundwater lurking beneath the Earth’s surface also plays a big role in the river’s levels. Groundwater can be stored for thousands of years, according to Fred Tillman, a research hydrologist with the Arizona Water Science Center at the U.S. Geological Survey. “So if there’s a stream that is flowing all year long meaning after it has rain drain, and after the water has run off into the stream, and that stream is being fed by groundwater so that groundwater and surface water interaction is a huge important component of perennial year round stream flow in streams” he said. … ” Read more from KJZZ.
In national water news today …
Water utilities brace for imminent EPA proposal on PFAS in water
“Drinking water systems are preparing for the possibility that the EPA will try to codify its 2022 health advisories suggesting no amount of PFAS substances are safe, water attorneys say. The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to issue its proposed PFAS drinking water standards by March 3, according to the EPA’s latest regulatory agenda. That date is exactly two years after the agency published its 2021 decision to regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The EPA, which did not respond to a request for comment, said in a news release this week that the draft of the proposed rule is undergoing interagency review, and the proposal will be released in the “coming weeks.” The agency said it expects to finalize the PFAS drinking water limits by the end of the year. “Whatever they come up with will have a huge impact on the next several years for drinking water systems planning their budgeting,” and litigation will likely follow, said Tom Lee, a partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP in San Francisco. … ” Read more from Bloomberg.
Federal agencies redefine Clean Water Act’s reach over wetlands and other U.S. waters
“A new definition of “waters of the United States” (“WOTUS”) will help drive the regulatory reach of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, or Clean Water Act (“CWA”), starting March 20, 2023. The term WOTUS is used to determine the extent to which the CWA applies to different types of water bodies, such as rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands, and other water resources. Redefining WOTUS changes the scope of CWA programs imposing water quality standards, allocating total maximum daily loads of pollutants to impaired waters, certifying CWA Section 401 compliance, regulating the discharge of pollutants through National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits, and regulating the discharge of dredged or fill material under CWA Section 404 permits. … ” Read more from the Kronick Law Firm.
NASA Real-Time Snow Water Equivalent Report …
20230214_RT_SWE_Report
