DAILY DIGEST, Presidents’ Day weekend edition: Did winter storms replenish depleted groundwater supplies? Here’s what data shows; Los Angeles DWP battles to keep spigot open at Mono Lake; Changes needed to save Lake Powell, experts say; and more …

In California water news this weekend …

Did winter storms replenish California’s depleted groundwater supplies? Here’s what data shows

“Winter storms have filled California’s reservoirs and built up a colossal Sierra snowpack that’s nearly twice its normal size for this time of year. But years of dry conditions have created problems far beneath the Earth’s surface that aren’t as easily addressed.  Groundwater — found in underground layers containing sand, soil and rock — is crucial for drinking water and sustaining farms. During drought years, 60% of California’s annual water supply comes from groundwater. This water is not easily replenished, especially as many groundwater basins across the state are critically overdrafted. “Even if we have a substantial wet year, it’ll take many years for basins to fully recover, if at all,” said Paul Gosselin, deputy director of sustainable groundwater management for the California Department of Water Resources. … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle (gift article).

Before and after: New photos show remarkable recovery at California’s most beleaguered reservoir

“California’s drought-stricken reservoirs have seen a remarkable recovery after a barrage of storms lashed the state last month. Officials say it’s a much-needed improvement after hovering at critically low levels for the past several years.  Lake Oroville, California’s most beleaguered and second-largest reservoir, saw a huge boost after the climate change-fueled megadrought sucked away nearly all of its water supply.  Before-and-after photos show incredible improvement at the reservoir, which as of this week stood at 115% of the historical average for the date — a notable jump from just 61% in February 2021 and 77% in 2022.  The before images show a “bathtub ring” of dirt around the edge of the lake, marking how far the water levels had fallen. By late January, the after images showed the bathtub ring was underwater once again. … ”  Read more from CNN.

Mudslides, threat of ‘wet vintage’ won’t dampen winemakers’ delight in record rainfall

“As Prudy Foxx walked through rows of ripening fruit at several vineyards nestled among the Santa Cruz Mountains last September, she cringed at the spindly shoots rising from the stocky grapevine trunks.  “I was looking at the canes going into winter, and many of them were a little thin for my taste,” Foxx said. “They were the diameter of a No. 2 pencil and lacking in their protein component. I thought ‘that’s a real issue.’ ” A similar scene played out last fall at many vineyards around the Bay Area: years of drought taking a destructive toll on the vines, threatening a billion-dollar industry and putting more stress on California’s scant stored water resources.  Then, like a “godsend,” the rains came. … ”  Read more from the Mercury News.

Threats from ticks, fleas and mosquitoes on the rise after historic rainfall, California officials warn

“Stock up on the bug spray and pet meds, California. Vets, insect experts and vector-borne disease researchers fear heavy winter rains will lead to an explosion of the mosquito, tick and flea populations. Diseases they spread can lead to irritation or even death for you and your pets.”Yes, we are worried about mosquitos this year,” said Nizza Sequeira, Public Information Officer for the Marin Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control District. “When we have a year and receive so much rainwater as we did this past season, you’re going to see a lot of areas that have been dry for a number of years collecting water.” … ”  Read more from Fox Weather.

Los Angeles DWP battles to keep spigot open at Mono Lake

“With its haunting rock spires and salt-crusted shores, Mono Lake is a Hollywood vision of the apocalypse. To the city of Los Angeles, however, this Eastern Sierra basin represents the very source of L.A.’s prosperity — the right to free water.  For decades, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has relied on long-standing water rights to divert from the streams that feed this ancient lake as part of the city’s far-flung water empire. But in the face of global warming, drought and lawsuits from environmentalists, the DWP is now facing the previously unthinkable prospect of ending its diversions there.  In the coming months, the State Water Resources Control Board will decide whether Mono Lake’s declining water level — and the associated ecological impacts — constitute an emergency that outweighs L.A.’s right to divert up to 16,000 acre-feet of supplies each year. … ”  Read more from the LA Times.

Report from the Congressional Farm Bill Hearing

Don Wright of Water Wrights writes, “It was a day filled with firsts. It was Valentine’s Day and 10-Congressmen gathered in Tulare on the first day of the 2023 World Ag Expo to listen to a large room full of folks about what they’d like to have included in the next iteration of the Farm Bill. This is the first public interaction for this Farm Bill and the first time it has taken place at the World Ag Expo. It was also the first time a Speaker of the House and the Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture both attended the Expo. Congressmen Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield and Glenn “GT” Thompson of Pennsylvania and their colleagues were there to hear what the public wants in the Farm Bill. It’s an American tradition to rewrite the Farm Bill every five years. … Speaking of hot air thrusting things forward I was pleasantly surprised to find the congressmen at the Farm Bill listening session* far less pontifical than those speaking to them. The vast majority of speaker were cognizant of their five-minute time limit and got to the point. … ”  Read more at Water Wrights.

Tracking microplastic ‘fingerprints’

“We don’t often think of plastics as having “fingerprints.” But they do. And, as we continue to find microparticles in unexpected places — from local anchovy and seabird guts to the deepest trenches of the ocean — identifying those fingerprints is increasingly important.  Scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and MBARI recently published an open-access library — a collection anyone can use for free — of the chemical fingerprints of microplastics and other particles that are commonly found in and around the ocean. Researchers can use the library to figure out what kind of plastics are entering the ocean, where they are coming from and what we can do to keep them out in the future.  Scientists estimate that more than 11 million tons of plastic are dumped into the world’s oceans every year — the equivalent of dumping a garbage truck full of plastic into the ocean every minute.   Those plastics get weathered and eroded down into microparticles the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen or nearly-invisible fibers. They are ingested by marine mammals, permanently entering the food chain. Study after study has confirmed that microplastics are a global problem. But to address it, scientists need to know which plastics are moving from land into water.  … ”  Read more from the Monterey Herald.

A guide for new California water wonks

“Water is a universal foundation for every problem and opportunity in California.  Most people use it every day, yet even experts with decades of experience don’t know it all.   (Alas, too many advocates and pundits almost don’t know it at all.)  Welcome!  Immense numbers of books and articles have been written on California water.  Here is a selection of some readings and websites useful for folks who want to become California water wonks as serious journalists, students, agency and NGO leaders or workers, consultants new to the area, professors and instructors, or just obsessed members of the public.  Bon appétit! … ”  Read more from the California Water Blog.

Here’s how one beach in Ventura County is trying an innovative strategy to combat erosion

“The severe storms that hit California this season could end up costing the state in excess of $1 billion.  Coastal communities seem to move mountains in an effort to slow the beach erosion that threatens life near the ocean. But about 10 years ago, Surfer’s Point in Ventura County became the site of a test for a managed-retreat strategy as the best way forward.  “It’s really the nature-based solution and finding ways to work with nature so that people can still access this area,” says Bill Hickman, Southern California regional manager for the Surfrider Foundation. … ”  Continue reading from KABC.

Wildlife Conservation Board funds Environmental Improvement and Acquisition Projects

“At its February 16, 2023, quarterly meeting, the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) approved approximately $51.83 million in grants to help restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat throughout California. Some of the 25 approved projects will benefit fish and wildlife — including some endangered species — while others will provide public access to important natural resources. Several projects will also demonstrate the importance of protecting working landscapes that integrate economic, social and environmental stewardship practices beneficial to the environment, landowners and the local community.  Funding for these projects comes from a combination of sources including the state’s General Fund, Habitat Conservation Fund and bond measures approved by voters to help preserve and protect California’s natural resources. … ”  Read more from the Department of Fish & Wildlife.

Looking back at Dianne Feinstein’s storied California career

“The big political news in the state this week is the announcement from Sen. Dianne Feinstein — California’s longest serving senator — that she would finish out her term but would not seek reelection.  The move sets the state for what is expected to be an expensive and bitter fight to replace the Democrat in 2024.  It has also prompted a flood of reflections about Feinstein’s remarkable career, which began in 1969, when she was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. She was the first woman elected to the board without having first been appointed.  “You can’t tell the story of California politics — or the story of American politics — without the trailblazing career of Dianne Feinstein,” Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said. … ”  Read more from the LA Times.

Return to top

In commentary this weekend …

Gavin Newsom just declared war on San Francisco Bay

Gary Bobker, program director at the Bay Institute, writes, “In response to the 9/11 attacks of 2001, then-President George W. Bush created an enemy that could not be defeated — the very concept of terrorism. He used this framing to help justify launching unjustified wars of aggression in Iraq and infringing on traditional civil liberties at home. His actions — propelled by the cynical exploitation of a real emergency — ultimately backfired, fueling terrorist ideology instead of hindering it.  While obviously not so dramatic, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order this week declaring war on California’s water scarcity takes a note from the Bush playbook. The decision to extend his drought emergency declaration — despite the recent record rains and flooding — gives carte blanche to state agencies to eviscerate essential water quality and environmental protections in perpetuity. Meanwhile, his administration continues to press for the same kinds of projects and management strategies that helped create the state’s water problems in the first place. … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Complicated, but significant positive news on the water front

Geoffrey Vanden Huevel, Director of Regulatory and Economic Affairs with the Milk Producers Council, writes, “With the imminent threat of losing hundreds of thousands of acre-feet of stored water to the ocean, Governor Newsom on Monday issued an Emergency Order seeking to stop that from happening. In his State of Emergency Proclamation, the Governor ordered the State Water Board to consider modifying requirements for reservoir releases. The proclamation also suspended some provisions of the Water Code to make this possible. Later in the day on Monday, the Department of Water Resources, together with the Federal Bureau of Reclamation, filed a Temporary Urgency Change Petition (TUCP) with the State Water Board to get relief from the ocean outflow requirement. Despite the order from the Governor, the five governor-appointed State Water Board members have the power to grant, modify or deny the petition. It is very encouraging to see the Governor use his considerable emergency powers in an effort to do something significant for water supply, but we need the State Water Board to follow through by granting the petition.  There is of course, opposition to this move by the radical environmentalists. … ”  Continue reading at the Milk Producers Council.

High Country News engages in climate change denialism and greenwashing

Chad Hanson, a research ecologist with the John Muir Project, writes, “A once-respected news outlet for environmental journalism that highlighted and exposed abuses of our natural world, High Country News (HCN) has now taken an ugly turn for the worse. On February 10, 2023, HCN published and distributed an article, “Does thinning work for wildfire prevention?”, that presented itself ostensibly as an examination of “what scientists find” to be true on the subject of “thinning”, wildfires, and climate change. But, to address this issue, the article only quoted one forest/fire ecologist, Gavin Jones, a pro-logging scientist employed by the U.S. Forest Service, who has never published a single scientific study on how “thinning” affects wildfires or climate change. … ”  Read more from Counter Punch.

Return to top

In regional water news this weekend …

NORTH COAST

U.S. Senate Bill aimed at aiding drought in the Klamath Basin

“Oregon U.S. Senators, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have introduced legislation to support farmers and ranchers, in the Klamath Basin.  The Klamath Basin has been experiencing high levels of drought for the past couple of years, with 2021 being especially harsh.  The Bureau of Reclamation says that 2021 was the area’s worst year on record in 100 years.  Senators Wyden and Merkley’s Klamath Power and Facilities Agreement Support Act aims to address the needs of the communities in the Klamath basin caused by drought. … ”  Read more from KOBI.

Winter Wings speaker Mark Bronson outlines benefits of removing Klamath River dams

“The upcoming dam removal project has the potential to benefit not only aquatic species but also improve prosperity of agriculture and recreation in the Klamath Basin. Mark Bronson gave a free presentation on the dam removals for the 2023 Winter Wings Festival. Bronson is the executive director of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC), the nonprofit leading the removal of four hydroelectric dams in Southern Oregon and Northern California. Bronson’s talk — “Klamath River Dams are Coming Out!” — noted a number of beneficial outcomes that could breathe new life into more than just the endangered fish species in the region. … ”  Read more from the Herald & News.

Del Norte Supervisors oppose proposed federal ESA listing for Oregon, California coast chinook

“A local fishing guide convinced Del Norte County supervisors to demand “actual factual science” to support the proposed listing of Oregon Coast and Southern Oregon-Northern California coast chinook salmon as endangered.  Mike Coopman, who has been a guide for 30 years and has worked with several local fishing organizations, asked the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to submit a letter opposing the proposed listing to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Marine Fisheries Service.  Coopman argued that the Native Fish Society’s petition would affect all chinook salmon from Cape Mendocino to the mouth of the Columbia River. He also asked supervisors to build coalitions with colleagues in neighboring counties and to “come in with a unified type of a response to this petition.” … ”  Read more from Wild Rivers Outpost.

MOUNTAIN COUNTIES

Forest Service warns about ‘unauthorized’ pop-up ice rink at Pinecrest Reservoir

“Someone has set up a rink on iced-over Pinecrest Reservoir, and the U.S. Forest Service is calling it “unauthorized” and warning visitors to stay away from it due to “potentially unstable and unknown ice conditions” and an “overwhelming concern for public safety.”  The new rink appears in Forest Service photos to be set up on ice off shore from the reservoir marina, near the busy west end of the reservoir closest to parking lots.  The Forest Service heard about the rink late Thursday afternoon when an unidentified Pinecrest resident called the Forest Service and said “folks were ice skating,” Benjamin Cossel, a Forest Service spokesman with the Stanislaus National Forest, said Friday. … ”  Read more from the Union-Democrat.

SACRAMENTO VALLEY

CalTrout expands into Chico, secures funding recommendation for Big Chico Creek

“Bay Area based conservation group California Trout is expanding into the Northstate with the opening of a new office in Chico.  The expansion comes as the non-profit secures a major $9.9 million funding recommendation from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for their work on Big Chico Creek near Iron Canyon. The dollars come from nearly $105 million in funding for fish passage projects from the Biden Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  CalTrout says their aim is to open up eight and a half miles of cold water habitat for spring-run Chinook salmon and steelhead trout. … ”  Read more from KRCR.

Many Sacramento waterway encampments abandoned after winter storm flooding

“Sacramento, much like many areas across Northern California, was devastated by January’s winter storms.  Thousands experienced downed trees, power outages and extensive flooding.  North of downtown Sacramento many who lived along the American River Parkway sought shelter elsewhere, as fear of river flooding grew.  A site at Cal Expo was even converted into a safe place to seek refuge, near the American River Parkway, away from the weather. … ”  Read more from KRCA.

NAPA/SONOMA

This spawning season could save the Clear Lake hitch from extinction, but not everyone agrees on how to help

“The time is fast approaching when a native fish species known as the Clear Lake hitch should begin their yearly run up tributaries around the lake to produce a new generation of young.  Pomo elders and old-timers say the hitch, or “chi,” as they are known by the region’s Indigenous people, once spawned in such abundance that people could practically walk across their backs in the creeks.  For the region’s tribal members, the spawning time was cause for celebration — a reason for tribal folk from all around to gather, collect food for the year and visit.  But all that was before expanding development and agriculture, declining water quality, gravel mining, invasive species, habitat loss and extended drought took a toll on the hitch, a species of minnow found nowhere else on earth. … ”  Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

Long-running effort to list Clear Lake hitch as a federal endangered species still unresolved

“That the Clear Lake hitch are in trouble is not news — not to local Pomo tribes, for whom the fish have been a staple food and cultural touchstone over centuries of time, and not to scientists who have monitored their decline over the past decade and more.  The hitch, or “chi,” as they are known by Indigenous people, were named a state Species of Special Concern in 1989 — more than three decades ago.  The numbers had declined enough by the early 2000s that local volunteers formed the Chi Council for the Clear Lake Hitch to monitor their spawning numbers and maintain records. Those reports, in turn, helped inform formal petitions prepared by the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity, which, working with local tribes, sought listing of the Clear Lake hitch under state and federal Endangered Species Acts in 2012.  … ”  Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

Benefits of rainstorms in Sonoma County far outweighed damage they caused

“Their timing wasn’t great.  After moving to Sonoma County from Santa Monica in 2020, Kim and David Lockhart purchased River’s Edge Kayak & Canoe in Healdsburg. Heavy rains across the region the year before had caused widespread flooding, especially along the lower Russian River.  The outfit’s popular “Rio trip” takes paddlers down a secluded, 5-mile stretch featuring herons, egrets, turtles, deer and the occasional eagle and otter. Some sections of the route are deep, others shallow. “But there’s shallow,” said Kim, “and then there’s SHALLOW.”  In the teeth of the drought last summer, the river was ankle deep in some spots.  When atmospheric rivers drenched the North Bay in December and January, the Lockharts greeted those heavy rains with open arms and undisguised relief.  Daunting and destructive as those storms were — causing widespread flooding, downed trees and mudslides — they brought a bounty that soaked a parched landscape, easing stress and strain on a wide range of flora and fauna. … ”  Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

Is Napa capturing enough storm runoff for the next drought?

“California’s recent boom-or-bust rainy seasons raise the question of whether Napa County needs to capture more water during the booms. Similar questions are being asked up and down the Golden State. Atmospheric rivers that pounded California in January left swollen, ground-level rivers carrying water to the Pacific Ocean.  That happened in Napa County. Once local reservoirs serving local cities filled up, all they could do was spill water that eventually reached the Napa River, bays and ocean, water that might be needed during the next drought. The recent drought shows how water scarcity hits home. Two-person households in St. Helena were limited to 6,500 gallons a month. Napa city residents had to remember which two days a week they could turn on their sprinklers. … ”  Read more from the Napa Register.

St. Helena to consider termination of Phase I water emergency

“The St. Helena City Council accepted a staff recommendation Tuesday to consider terminating the city’s Phase I Water Emergency in July once the required analysis is complete. While the December and January storms provided large quantities of rainwater that resulted in the overtopping of spillways at both Bell Canyon Reservoir and Lake Hennessey — a City of Napa water source for St. Helena — the city’s municipal is clear that analysis is required prior to any rescinding of a Phase I Water Emergency, according to a news release this week from Joe Leach, director of Public Works for the city. … ”  Read more from The Patch.

Just because North Bay reservoirs are full, it doesn’t mean the drought is over, experts say

“It’s a busy time at the Lake Sonoma Marina, where the phone “has been ringing off the hook” with folks calling about boat rentals and slip leases for what all signs suggest will be a blockbuster year for recreation at local reservoirs.  But “an unusual amount of people” also are coming by just to gaze at the lake and the deep reserve of water accumulated since a series of winter storms reset the course for the region after three years of severe drought, Lake Sonoma Area Resort owner Rick Herbert said.  There is a touch of miracle in the sudden, drastic reversal that has brought Lake Sonoma from the lowest point in its nearly 40-year history on Dec. nine to 99.3% of its water supply threshold in just 10 weeks. … ”  Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

BAY AREA

Bay Area weather is set up to dramatically change, bringing extreme cold — and snow

“The Bay Area’s wetter-than-average winter is showing no signs of slowing down – global weather models are once again painting an unsettled weather pattern for Northern California next week. This pattern will be shaped by a low-pressure system that will make its way from Vancouver Island down to California, ferrying freezing temperatures, strong winds and the chances for both rain and snow to the Bay Area.   A few weather models are even pushing for the snowline – the boundary where temperatures fall below 32 degrees – to make it down to parts of the coast by Wednesday and Thursday. So, what exactly is on tap for next week, and what are the odds that some (or any) of these conditions play out? … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Marin surveyors find few salmon, steelhead eggs after storms

“Marin salmon and steelhead researchers said this week that the outcome of this year’s spawning season will likely remain a mystery until the summer because recent storms prevented surveys during the peak period of the run.  While the storms help to signal fish such as endangered coho salmon, threatened chinook salmon and steelhead trout to swim upstream to their spawning grounds, the intensity of the back-to-back storms in January scoured creekbeds in salmon strongholds such as Lagunitas Creek and Redwood Creek.  The storms occurred right as coho salmon were completing their spawning season. Several eggs nests that were laid in the stream bed were likely washed away by the powerful torrents, surveyors said. … ”  Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.

Open Space Authority celebrates 30 years, 30,000 acres

“The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year by achieving a milestone of conserving 30,000 acres of open space. This open space includes 16 agricultural and natural resource conservation easements covering 5,146 acres.  “It was 1993 when ordinary citizens, local elected leaders and the California State Legislature joined together to form a new special district and public land conservation agency in Santa Clara County whose mission would be to balance growth by creating a permanent Santa Clara Valley greenbelt of protected natural and agricultural lands,” says Helen Chapman, chair of the authority’s board of directors and a resident of San Jose’s Rose Garden neighborhood. … ”  Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.

CENTRAL COAST

Plastics threaten the marine sanctuary

“Nine atmospheric rivers hit California from Dec. 27 to Jan. 16, with an average of 12 inches of rainfall, including nearly 40 inches in Santa Cruz. Almost half of the rainfall on the Central Coast entered Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) through rivers and streams, carrying with it millions of tons of natural and human-made debris.  Human debris comes in many forms, much of it consisting of lightweight and mass-produced plastic products used by Californians every day.  Perhaps you have seen plastic bags and bottles, food wrappers, cigarette butts, and straws in our rivers and creeks or clogging storm drains after a rainfall. This debris is not only seen on land and on our beaches. Sanctuary scientists, while conducting scuba and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) research, have observed a myriad of ocean debris from the surface down to depths of 10,000 feet — bottles, buckets, derelict fishing gear, a shipping container, 100-year-old china, a wheelchair and even a washing machine. … ”  Continue reading from the Santa Cruz Sentinel | Read via MSN News

The floods, the farms, and the river that roared back

“On the surface, the Salinas River, which courses through the agricultural heart of California’s Central Coast, seems more like an ex-river. Even after major winter storms, it is rarely more than a creek. In Paso Robles, California, an old Spanish outpost that has since become a wine-growing mecca, the mostly dry riverbed cuts through an unprepossessing stretch of land surrounded by heaps of garbage and makeshift structures built by the city’s growing unhoused population.  And yet a closer look reveals signs of flood—scoured river stones, logs rolled smooth, and clamshell fossils embedded in limestone from the uplands of the Temblor and Coast ranges. Only a river capable of occasional ferocity could have created this underlying landscape.  This winter, the Salinas reminded us of that fury. … ”  Read more from Wired.

Lake Nacimiento urges users to collect property floating in lake

“Monterey County Water Resource Agency is urging those who use or have access to Lake Nacimiento to retrieve and remove any property that is currently floating in the lake.  According to water resource officials, the lake has a large amount of debris brought by the recent storm.  Agency officials say that floating debris is endangering the lake’s dam and spillway entrances. … ”  Read more from KSBY.

Calleguas eases limit on lawn watering

“Lawns, gardens and other vegetation that survived the past year’s restrictions on watering are getting a stay of execution.  The Calleguas Municipal Water District board of directors voted Wednesday night to suspend its oneday per-week watering restriction that has been in place since May of last year.  The agency is recommending a a twice-per-week limit instead.  The move was triggered by the State Water Project’s recent pledge to provide 30% of its 2023 allocation to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Calleguas’ supplier. … ”  Read more from The Acorn.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Chino plans to sell 1.3 billion gallons of water to Niagara

“The City of Chino is proposing to sell 4,000-acre-feet from its excess water carryover account to Niagara Bottling Company in Ontario. An acre-foot is equivalent to 325,851 gallons of water, so the transaction would involve more than 1.3 billion gallons of water. The transaction between Chino and the Niagara Bottling Company must be approved by the Chino Basin Watermaster Board and the Chino City Council, said city spokesperson Vivian Castro. … ”  Read more from the Chino Champion.

Lawmakers demand EPA action on troubled cleanup of lead-contaminated L.A.-area homes

“Amid California’s long struggle to hold an industrial polluter accountable and remove lead contamination from neighborhoods southeast of downtown Los Angeles, members of Congress are now calling on the federal Environmental Protection Agency to assist in the troubled cleanup of areas surrounding the closed Exide battery recycling plant — the largest and most costly effort in California history.  “It is clear that only the federal government has the capacity to resolve this crisis,” wrote Rep. Robert Garcia of Long Beach and California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla in a letter Thursday to EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. The letter cited a Los Angeles Times investigation published last week that found that numerous properties remediated at great cost to state taxpayers have been left with concentrations of lead in their yards in excess of state health standards. … ”  Read more from the LA Times.

Long Beach port spreads its environmental efforts beyond its borders

“The Port of Long Beach has awarded nearly $1.5 million in grants to help five Long Beach schools and two churches to become more energy efficient.  The money came from the port’s Long Beach Community Grants Program. The Long Beach harbor commission approved the allocations earlier this week.  The funding takes the port’s mission of establishing a green port beyond its actual boarders, said Long Beach harbor commission President Sharon L. Weissman.  “Whether it’s our quest for zero emissions, or these grants to mitigate how port operations impact our neighborhoods,” she said in a statement, “being the Green Port takes many forms.” … ”  Read more from the Long Beach Press Telegram.

SAN DIEGO

Local groups make San Diego coast more resilient as Tijuana sewer spill ends

“A sewage spill in Tijuana this week sent wastewater through the San Diego coastline, in the same area where beaches have already been closed because of contaminated water.  The International Boundary and Water Commission announced wastewater had been flowing through the U.S.-Mexico Border after a private developer damaged a pipeline.  The commission said the spill into the U.S. boundaries has been stopped, but crews are working 18-hour days to address the issue in Mexico.  Areas of the San Diego coastline from the border to Imperial Beach have been closed since December because of high bacteria levels in the water. … ”  Read more from Channel 5.

Return to top

Along the Colorado River …

Changes needed to save second-largest U.S. reservoir, experts say

“Water levels in the nation’s second-largest reservoir dropped to a record low last week, raising the alarm that major changes are on the way for the seven states — and millions of Americans — relying on that system, experts say.  Lake Powell, a man-made reservoir that sits along the Colorado River on the Arizona-Utah border, generates electricity for about 4.5 million people. It is also a key part of the Colorado River Basin system, which supplies water to more than 40 million people. As of last week, its water levels fell to 3,522 feet above sea level, which is the lowest seen since the structure was filled in the 1960s. It’s now just 22 percent full, and unprecedented cuts in states’ water usage are necessary to avoid dire consequences. … ”  Read more from the Washington Post (gift article).

As the Colorado River shrinks, federal officials consider overhauling Glen Canyon Dam

“The desiccation of the Colorado River has left Lake Powell, the country’s second-largest reservoir, at just 23% of capacity, its lowest level since it was filled in the 1960s.  With the reservoir now just 32 feet away from “minimum power pool” — the point at which Glen Canyon Dam would no longer generate power for six states — federal officials are studying the possibility of overhauling the dam so that it can continue to generate electricity and release water at critically low levels.  A preliminary analysis of potential modifications to the dam emerged during a virtual meeting held by the federal Bureau of Reclamation, which is also reviewing options for averting a collapse of the water supply along the river. These new discussions about retooling the dam reflect growing concerns among federal officials about how climate change is contributing to the Colorado River’s reduced flows, and how declining reservoirs could force major changes in dam management for years to come. … ”  Read more from the LA Times.

Public comments on ‘unacceptable risks’ at Hoover and Glen Canyon Dams released

“The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) has published its Scoping Summary after two online meetings in November and December about the operations of the Hoover Dam at Lake Mead and the Glen Canyon Dam at Lake Powell.  The agency said there is a need to “revise operating guidelines for the operation of Glen Canyon and Hoover Dams in 2023-24 operating years in order to address the potential for continued low-runoff conditions in the Colorado River Basin.”  According to the USBR website, “Reclamation has concluded that the potential impacts of low runoff conditions in the coming winter (2022-2023) pose unacceptable risks to routine operations of Glen Canyon and Hoover dams during the interim period (prior to Jan. 1, 2027) and accordingly, modified operating guidelines need to be expeditiously developed.” … ”  Read more from Channel 8.

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.  The extended forecast shows the President’s Day weekend could bring in fresh snowfall to build snowpack levels that have been shrinking over recent weeks. Snowpack levels — that is, measurements of the Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) stored in the snow — stopped growing over the past few weeks.  As of Thursday, snowpack is 131% of normal, down nearly 15% over the past month. … ”  Read more from Channel 8.

Coaltion hopes to gain traction statewide to preserve Arizona groundwater

““We live in the desert, let’s act like it” is the mantra of a coalescing statewide movement to protect and preserve Arizona’s groundwater since state legislators have not taken viable action on the declining water problem. The Arizona Sustainable Water Network Coalition, the Cochise County Groundwater Guardians and others are combining conservation efforts through a possible citizen ballot initiative in 2024.  They say if the state legislators don’t adopt groundwater withdrawal regulations, there will be citizen–led efforts to hasten the development of a regulatory processes to address the problem as the Colorado River dries up and development, agriculture and other industries access groundwater. … ”  Read more from the Herald Review.

Return to top

In national water news this weekend …

What’s a climate ‘doom loop?’ These researchers fear we’re heading into one

“Governments could soon be so overwhelmed with the consequences of climate change that they’re unable to address its root causes, creating a self-perpetuating cycle that researchers are calling a climate “doom loop.”  In a report published Wednesday by Chatham House and the Institute for Public Policy Research, two London-based think tanks, researchers warned that the climate crisis was already imposing incredible costs on nations as they deal with everything from increasingly destructive storms and wildfires to more frequent famines and human migrations. As those costs snowball, they said, it could force governments to dial back or even abandon their efforts to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, leading to larger economic burdens in the future.  “This is a doom loop,” the researchers wrote in their report. “The consequences of the crisis and the failure to address it draw focus and resources from tackling its causes, leading to higher temperatures and ecological loss, which then create more severe consequences, diverting even more attention and resources, and so on.” … ”  Read more from Inside Climate News.

Return to top

Also on Maven’s Notebook this weekend …

NOTICE of Petitions for Temporary Urgency Change – U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

NOTICE of Certification of consistency with Delta Plan filed for McCormack-Williamson Tract Levee Modification And Habitat Restoration Project – Phase B (C20231)

NOTICE for Water Quality Certification Application for Battle Creek Salmon and Steelhead Restoration Project – Phase 2 No Regrets

Return to top