DAILY DIGEST, weekend edition: Storms, persistent cold to continue through midweek; Pipeline debate at center of California carbon capture plans; The Salton Sea, an accident of history, faces a new water crisis; Who shoulders Mother Nature’s cut of the Colorado River?; and more …

On the calendar today …

WEBINAR: Drawbridge: History & Virtual Tour from 3:30pm to 5:00pm.  Join Ceal Craig, Ph.D., a 20-year volunteer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for a unique opportunity to dive into the history of Drawbridge, a ‘ghost town’ that once housed a thriving community on an island along the South San Francisco Bay. How did this community survive in the marshlands? Why is it now a ghost town? Answers to these questions and many more will be answered if you join us on Sunday, February 26th, from 3:30pm-5:00pm.  The presentation will take place via Zoom and will be just over one hour, with time for questions and discussion from participants. A direct link to the program will be provided via email after registration.  Click here to register.

California storms …

Series of storms and persistent cold to grip the West through midweek

“In the aftermath of the record-setting rain and snow across the Pacific Coast late last week, forecasters say that a stormy pattern will persist across the West as March begins.  During the first half of this week, a broad southward dip in the jet stream will help to guide coastal storms into the Pacific Northwest and California. By late week, the pattern will turn slightly more moderate along the California coast as the jet stream becomes less amplified over the Western states. Given the hefty impacts felt by the stormy pattern.  “A continuation of cold and unsettled conditions are expected along the West Coast through midweek this week as waves of energy and moisture dive in from the Pacific,” explained AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham. … ”  Read more from AccuWeather.

California battles record-breaking snow and rain

“A significant storm over the last several days created many impacts across California, causing some cities to flood, and higher elevations to record several feet of snow.  More than 7 inches of rain fell in Ventura County, causing flash flooding early Saturday morning according to The Associated Press. The excess rain caused roads to flood, which stranded cars on roadways. On Saturday morning, the Los Angeles Fire Department ground and air responders rescued four people and five animals from flooding in Encino. Two of the individuals were suffering from hypothermia and were transported to an area hospital. The other individuals and the five animals were all uninjured. … ”  Read more from AccuWeather.

‘Strongest snowstorm in years’ leaves Californians delighted and frozen

“Swaths of the Golden State were doused in white this week as a historic storm cast much of the US in a bitter chill – and forecasters say there’s more frosty weather in store.   The snowstorm hovering over the southern part of California could end up becoming one for the record books as typically balmy areas brace for a barrage of more blizzard conditions and blustery winds. Across the state this week, the snowline has already crept far downslope from its winter territory atop high-elevation peaks, dusting foothills and valleys closer to the coast, and even some beaches.  “It is definitely the strongest storm we have had in many years,” said Eric Boldt, a warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in southern California. And it isn’t all bad news. … ”  Read more from The Guardian.

A rare blizzard hits California as summerlike heat roasts the eastern U.S.

“An astonishing smorgasbord of extreme weather gripped the U.S. this week, with blizzards and epic snows in the West and Northern Plains, a deadly ice storm in the Midwest, and summerlike heat in the East and South.  Fueling the contrast was a dramatic contortion of the polar jet stream across North America, with the polar jet barreling south along the West Coast and then ripping northeastward. Such an overall pattern has been in place for much of February, but it intensified dramatically this week.  The result has been amped-up temperature contrasts and high-impact winter weather, especially along and north of the intense jet stream crossing the nation. … ”  Read more from Yale Climate Connections.

Here’s how this week’s winter storms added to California’s booming snowpack

“California’s mountains have seen an epic amount of snow this year. A historic series of storms in December and January built up the state’s snowpack so much that it kicked off February at nearly twice its usual amount.  Then the weather turned cold and dry — until this week, that is.  The winter storms that brought snow to the Bay Area on Thursday and Friday have added even more to this year’s colossal Sierra snowpack.  The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab, a research station located on Donner Summit, has recorded 120% of the average snowfall for an entire winter season and 176% of the typical snowfall to date for this time of year, according to a tweet from the lab. … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.

In other California water news this weekend …

Pathbreaking Groundwater Research by Center for Law, Energy & the Environment Team Goes National

“California’s tremendous thirst for water poses a grave challenge to its future, from an everyday perspective and in the longer battle of combating climate change — and is a bellwether for the rest of America and the world. At Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE), protecting existing resources while exploring innovative solutions for the future is a key component of its larger mission. … Recently, a CLEE team — including researchers from elsewhere at UC Berkeley and from UC Davis, Santa Cruz, and UC College of the Law, San Francisco — got the chance to take its longstanding policy work national. Kiparsky is the lead investigator on a $2 million grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assist efforts to recharge aquifers and improve groundwater sustainability.  “This is California offering up our experience and innovation to try and drive innovation elsewhere,” Kiparsky says. “The EPA recognized that we have a cohesive team with a strong track record of doing really good work in this area.” … ”  Read more from UC Berkeley.

Press release: 6 ways California is capturing & storing water from storms

California is continuing to leverage recent actions and a historic $8.6 billion investment to ensure that water from storms is captured and conserved to help preserve supplies for communities, wildlife and the environment, and water users if dry conditions return – actions aligned with California’s Water Supply Strategy:

1. EXECUTIVE ORDER TO CAPTURE & CONSERVE MORE WATER: Last week, Governor Newsom signed an Executive Order to help accelerate state efforts to capture storm runoff in wet years by facilitating groundwater recharge projects and other conservation measures.
2. FAST-TRACKING GROUNDWATER RECHARGE: The state is expanding groundwater recharge by at least 500,000 acre-feet in potential capacity – streamlining permits and $1 billion for groundwater recharge projects for 88,000 more acre-feet per year.
3. MAXIMIZING STORMWATER CAPTURE: $176 million for 67 stormwater projects and streamlining permitting to take advantage of major storm events.
4. EXPANDING STORAGE ABOVE & BELOW GROUND: California is supporting seven locally driven water storage projects that would expand the state’s capacity by 2.77 million acre-feet – about three times as much water as Folsom Lake can hold. And, California is working to expand San Luis Reservoir by 135,000 acre-feet to store more storm runoff.
5. ADVANCING CLEAR, AMBITIOUS TARGETS: 142 actions to improve water resilience and bolster water supplies, and a roadmap for expanding urban stormwater capture capacity by 250,000 acre-feet and adding 4 million acre-feet of water storage capacity.
6. MODERNIZING WATER INFRASTRUCTURE: California is working to modernize aging water conveyance systems across the state to safeguard long-term water reliability and help carry winter storm runoff into storage.

Biden-Harris Administration announces almost $166 Million for clean water infrastructure upgrades through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

“Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced over $2.4 billion from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for states, Tribes, and territories through this year’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), including almost $166 million for California. The funding will support communities in upgrading essential water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure that protects public health and treasured water bodies across the nation. Nearly half of this funding will be available as grants or principal forgiveness loans helping underserved communities across America invest in water infrastructure, while creating good-paying jobs.  “President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is delivering an unprecedented investment in America that will revitalize essential water and wastewater infrastructure across the country,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Not only will these funds expand access to clean water and safeguard the environment, but more underserved communities that have been left behind for far too long will be able to access them.” … ”  Read more from the EPA.

Growing lettuce in a vertical farm uses drastically less water. Is it a solution for a hotter climate?

“Farmers in Yuma, Ariz., like to tell visitors that they produce 90% of the country’s winter greens.  So if you’re eating a salad in Buffalo, Boston or Cincinnati, there’s a pretty good chance the lettuce was grown near the U.S.-Mexico border with water from the Colorado River.  But the river is in peril. … here’s a provocative question: What if we needed far less water to grow food, and what if farmers did it indoors?  In San Francisco, 650 miles northwest of Yuma, an agricultural startup called Plenty is doing just that. … ”  Read more from WBUR.

Pipeline debate at center of California carbon capture plans

“In its latest ambitious roadmap to tackle climate change, California relies on capturing carbon out of the air and storing it deep underground on a scale that’s not yet been seen in the United States. The plan — advanced by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration — comes just as the Biden administration has boosted incentives for carbon capture projects in an effort to spur more development nationwide. Ratcheting up 20 years of climate efforts, Newsom last year signed a law requiring California to remove as much carbon from the air as it emits by 2045 — one of the world’s fastest timelines for achieving so-called carbon neutrality. He directed the powerful California Air Resources Board to drastically reduce the use of fossil fuels and build massive amounts of carbon dioxide capture and storage. … ”  Read more from CBS San Francisco.

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In commentary this weekend …

It’s nuts to have a cow over milk when the real threat is myopic green narratives pitched in silos

Dennis Wyatt, editor of the Manteca Bulletin, writes, “The government — after spending untold hundreds of thousands of dollars — has determined most of us aren’t so stupid we can’t tell that milk derived from almonds is not the same as milk derived from dairy cows.  The Food and Drug Administration avoided handing down a Solomon-type judgment in the ongoing feud between milk producers and almond growers about what constitutes milk. … Both sides now need to bury the hatchet and work for the common good in messaging.  There is a real existential threat that must be addressed.  Agriculture is in the crosshairs of myopic narratives when it comes to the environment. … ”  Continue reading at the Turlock Journal.

D.C. must stand with SoCal fishermen in fight against industrial fish farms

Eric Hodge, a small-scale commercial fisherman who lives in Ventura County, and Jake Schwartz, an organizer for Don’t Cage Our Oceans, write, “When you fish in the Santa Barbara Channel every day you get a sense of everything that’s there: the stoic northern Channel Islands, migrating humpback whales, and countless rockfish that are sold to make a living. You also get a sense of what doesn’t belong, and massive finfish farms directly off the coast of Ventura do not belong in our waters.  Offshore finfish aquaculture is a type of factory farming that uses massive net pens to raise fish in tight quarters. This allows disease and pests such as sea lice to spread rapidly which, if the fish escape, can be devastating to local fish populations. These cages also allow excess feed, untreated fish waste, antibiotics, and other chemicals to flow into the surrounding ocean where they can wreak havoc on our marine ecosystem and contribute to toxic algal blooms. … ”  Continue reading at the Ventura County Star.

Will South Dakota be ready when other states come for our water?

Seth Tupper, editor-in-chief of South Dakota Searchlight, “The massive volume of reservoirs on the Missouri River is one of the nation’s least-appreciated public resources, but that could change as Western states grow more desperate for water. “They’re tapped out, and so logic tells you they have to go to the next plentiful resource, which ultimately is the Missouri River,” Troy Larson, executive director of the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System based in Tea, said. Larson is one of the South Dakota water leaders starting to discuss the possibility of a Western-state rush for Missouri River water. More about that in a minute.  First, let’s consider what Western water officials will discover when they peek over the Rocky Mountains, gaze across the plains, and evaluate the six Missouri River reservoirs. … ”  Read more from the Capitol Journal.

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In regional water news this weekend …

NORTH COAST

BLM, Wiyot Tribe, and UC Berkeley partner to improve Eel River fishery

“Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Bureau of Land Management is supporting restoration efforts by the Wiyot Tribe and University of California, Berkeley by contributing $548,350 to improve the Eel River fishery. The funding will help the Tribe expand monitoring and restoration projects in the Eel River Watershed, important habitat for steelhead and salmon populations.  “Partnerships are vital to successful conservation of our nation’s public lands. We are proud to support the work of the Wiyot Tribe and UC Berkeley,” said BLM California State Director Karen Mouritsen. “Healthy fisheries are vital to our North Coast ecosystems and thanks to Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, we can continue to improve this watershed.” … ”  Continue reading this press release from the Bureau of Land Management.

SACRAMENTO VALLEY

The California Report: Raising Shasta Dam could put sacred indigenous sites underwater

“Shasta Dam is just nine miles north of Redding, California. It’s one of the state’s largest dams, built in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Behind it, three rivers backup creating Shasta Lake, the largest reservoir in the state. As California looks for ways to alleviate drought, the federal government is considering raising Shasta Dam by 18-and-a-half feet in order to store more water in wet years. If the dam enlargement proceeds, areas up river from the dam that aren’t currently underwater will flood.  The Winnemem Wintu people and others have opposed the dam enlargement project. Much of their ancestral land has already been taken from them and the proposal would flood many of the group’s remaining sacred sites.  “We travel back to the river all the time, but we don’t really have a landing place,” said Chief Caleen Sisk, the Winnemem Wintu leader. “We don’t have a place that we can leave our things, like ‘this is home.'” … ”  Read more and listen at KQED.

Sacramento: Watering rules changing beginning in March

“Sacramento’s watering restrictions will move back to being address-based starting in March and stay that way until late October.  Watering with sprinklers is currently only allowed once a week during the weekend, but beginning March 1, residents will be able to water twice a week. … ”  Read more from KTXL.

NAPA/SONOMA

Sonoma County expected to get more rain through weekend and into next week

“Even as the current storm continues to bring passing showers across the North Bay, a parade of three or more “waves of moisture” is expected to yield more rain beginning Sunday morning and through the early part of next week, according to the National Weather Service.  “We are expecting another storm system to arrive as early as Sunday morning from the north that will bring wet conditions through at least the first half of Sunday,” said Matt Mehle, a weather service meteorologist.  Mehle said Sunday afternoon will see a brief break in the rain before more storms arrive Sunday night and Monday morning. “Monday will be pretty wet for the entire day,” he said. … ”  Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

Sonoma supes to hold special meeting over potential water rate hikes

“Sonoma County will be hosting a special public meeting of the Board of Supervisors on Monday to discuss water infrastructure and climate change challenges as well as possible water rate hikes.  The county says that its water, wastewater and flood protection systems are more than a half-century old and are therefore precarious in the face of a large earthquake, climate change and wear and tear.  Sonoma County Water Agency is the county’s wholesale supplier of water to communities in both Sonoma and Marin counties, serving more than 600,000 people, according to the county. Six water collector wells exist near the Russian River and three groundwater wells. Water pumped from these wells goes through 88 miles of aqueducts that are between 45 and 65 years old. … ”  Read more from CBS Bay Area.

Snowboarding through vineyards: Napa winemakers embrace the snow

“Most years, wineries in the highest altitudes of Napa Valley are used to seeing a little bit of snow. But Friday’s snowfall was the heaviest that many like vintner Susan Krausz can recall.  “I don’t remember ever seeing a snow like this,” said Krausz, owner of Arkenstone Vineyards on Howell Mountain. “It looks like a winter wonderland.” She estimated her vineyard may have received almost a foot of snow. For Napa Valley wineries, the snowfall is a novelty, not a cause for alarm, and maybe even a chance for some fun winter sports. At this time of year, snow poses no risk to the valley’s most valuable natural asset: the grapevines. … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.

BAY AREA

What’s in store for Bay Area as storm fades to rain

“The snowstorm that turned parts of the Bay Area white Friday waned Saturday into rain showers, with Sunday bringing more light rain, warmer conditions, and snow only on peaks above 3,000 feet.  Temperatures may drop again Monday and could add some substantial snowfall to peaks above 2,500 feet, including Mount Hamilton, according to Jeff Lorber of the National Weather Service. … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.

San Francisco breaks a 132-year-old record during winter storm. Here’s how cold it got

“Temperatures in San Francisco dipped to a chilly 39 degrees Friday morning, setting the record for the lowest temperature recorded on any Feb. 24. The previous record was set in 1891, when San Francisco recorded 40 degrees, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Lorber.   Friday morning set the coldest temperature recorded in six years: The last time San Francisco reached 39 degrees was six years ago on Jan. 6, 2017, Lorber said. … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.

CENTRAL COAST

Trust buys easement on 9,400-acre ranch in Gabilan Range

“The California Rangeland Trust has secured an easement on the 9,418-acre Silacci Ranch in the Gabilan Mountains for $14.9 million. The property goes from the Salinas Valley floor to the Gabilan Range peaks, and from 181 to 2,556 feet above sea level. It borders Rocks Ranch, which is owned by the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County and from which a wildlife crossing to the west side of Hwy 101 is planned.  When establishing a conservation easement, California Rangeland Trust, a nonprofit that began in 1998, works closely with the landowner to address protection of the property’s natural habitat and agricultural use. … ”  Read more from BenitoLink.

It’s officially a ‘wet’ year and that’s good for the Peninsula

“The heavy rains last month and new rain forecast for the weekend and on into next week are bright spots in the Monterey Peninsula water picture, including that they, unlike other areas of California, have tempered any immediate concern over a drought.  In a recent briefing for the board of directors of the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, General Manager Dave Stoldt presented a series of data points indicating that this is now an official “wet” water year and that the storms have provided for significant recharging of an underground basin providing drinking water to the Peninsula. … ”  Read more from the Monterey Herald.

$160 million Morro Bay water treatment plant goes online — months ahead of deadline

“Morro Bay officials celebrated the start of operation for the city’s $160 million wastewater treatment facility — months ahead of a state-imposed deadline — on a chilly, rainy Thursday morning. The Morro Bay Water Resources Center is the largest municipal project in the city’s history, Scott Collins, Morro Bay’s outgoing city manager, said at Thursday’s ceremony. Located at 555 South Bay Blvd. south of town, the new sewage treatment facility will use “scientifically proven, advanced purification processes,” including reverse osmosis and ultraviolet advanced oxidation, according to a news release. … ”  Read more from the San Luis Obispo Tribune.

SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY

San Joaquin Valley projected to lose 20% of water by 2040

“An updated report on the San Joaquin Valley’s water crisis shows the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act is not enough and additional water trading measures will need to be taken in order to stabilize local agricultural economies.  The Public Policy Institute of California put out a policy brief on the future of agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley. Its analysis of the next 20 years indicates that annual water supplies for the Valley could decline by 10 to 20%. The Valley has been long understood to be the breadbasket of the United States and is home to the nation’s top three agricultural counties. However, without more innovative solutions, the Valley will likely have to fallow 900,000 acres of farmland and and cost 50,000 jobs leading to a major loss in the local economies. … ”  Read more from the Foothills Sun-Gazette.

2023 water allocations pour over Friant Division

“After a recent deluge and heavy snowpack hit the valley, the Friant DIvision is pouring over with water allocations this year.  On Feb. 22, the Bureau of Reclamation announced water supply allocations for the Friant Division contractors and the San Joaquin River (SJR) Restoration Program. The Friant Division, which serves 15,000 family farms and several cities in the valley, will be receiving 100% of their allocated water. The SJR Restoration Program will receive 556,500 acre-feet of water. These allocations are big news for the communities and farms in the Friant Division and on the eastside, as well as for the river restoration effort which had to halt flows last year due to the drought. This comes after a year of heavy rainfall and snowpack for the valley, however, water authorities are not very confident that the water source will equate to a “wet” year. … ”  Read more from the Foothills Sun-Gazette.

Storm benefits and fears for farmers in Fresno County

“While the current weather conditions are causing headaches for those wanting to travel, the impact of this rain could bring massive benefits to the area’s agriculture and water supply.  Fresno County Farm Bureau CEO, Ryan Jacobsen, shared that the rain from January, plus the current rain and snow, is setting up the whole San Joaquin Valley, (SJV) to have a great for water.  “This extra rain is a blessing, it will do remarkably good for us here both for our Valley community and for our agricultural economy,” said Jacobsen. “This is just more water we can use and make remarkable dents. We have had a very strong water year and it’s helping replenish our groundwater supplies.” … ”  Read more from Your Central Valley.

Kings River runoff estimated at 180%

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

In the Los Angeles area, snow up high, and flooding down below

“As steady snowfall continued to present hazards in the mountains of Southern California on Saturday, residents at lower elevations dealt with the fallout from a more familiar threat: flooding.  Intense rains and powerful winds that pounded Los Angeles and surrounding counties on Friday night and early Saturday produced significant flooding in urban areas, downed trees and threatened to cause mudslides.  Multiple water rescues were conducted across counties because of rising waters, said Ariel Cohen, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Los Angeles. One person in Santa Barbara County, which also experienced some flooding, was injured after strong winds caused a tree to fall into a home, and in Inglewood, falling trees crushed a line of cars, taking out power lines, he said. … ”  Read more from the New York Times.

First, a rare blizzard warning in Southern California; now thundersnow? What’s going on?

“A series of low-pressure systems packing cold air straight from Canada has brought low-elevation snow and a rare blizzard warning for Southern California’s mountains. Now, as if to add an exclamation point to the freakiness of this week’s weather, there has been thundersnow in the Southland — and more could be on the way.  A weather spotter near the Devore neighborhood of San Bernardino reported hearing thunder Thursday as a particularly cold and unstable part of a series of storms moved through the San Bernardino Mountains, according to Alex Tardy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego.  Thunderstorms are less common in the winter, but sometimes lightning and thunder can occur in a snowstorm. This dramatic and fairly rare phenomenon is known as thundersnow, and it usually accompanies intense storms. … ”  Read more from the LA Times.

After a break from the unexpected strong winds and heavy rainfalls, mixed thoughts on climate change arise

“Another powerful winter storm moved into Southern California on February 22, bringing snow, a lot of rain and blizzard conditions in some areas.  The National Weather Service forecasted a “cold and dangerous winter storm through Saturday evening” and advised people to be careful with possible roadway flooding, road closures, fallen trees and power lines and a possible severe snowstorm. … This unexpected amount of rain took people by surprise and raised concerns about climate change.  “Individual storms are statistical. Climate change creates a change in the climate whose consequences may not be directly predicted, but it makes conditions improve statistical changes of getting these kind of events,” said Doug Hammond, a professor of earth sciences. “More extreme events are more likely [to happen].” … ”  Read more from Annenberg Media.

State officials ‘vow to do better’ on Exide lead cleanup. Some residents aren’t satisfied

“The head of the state agency overseeing toxic substances said it must radically improve communication with residents living near the former Exide battery recycling plant in Vernon, where it is pursuing the largest environmental cleanup in California history.  The vow from the Department of Toxic Substances Control came in response to a Times investigation earlier this month showing that numerous properties that had been remediated at great cost to state taxpayers were left with concentrations of lead in their yards in excess of state health standards.  Many community members and advocates, however, were unsatisfied with the pledge, with one resident dismissing it Thursday night as “another DTSC world apology tour.” They want the department to commit to improving not just its communication, but also the way it has pursued the massive cleanup. … ”  Read more from the LA Times.

IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS

The Salton Sea, an accident of history, faces a new water crisis

“The drought crisis on the Colorado River looms large in California’s Imperial Valley, which produces much of the nation’s lettuce, broccoli and other crops, and now faces water cuts. But those cuts will also be bad news for the environmental and ecological disaster unfolding just to the north, at the shallow, shimmering and long-suffering Salton Sea.  “There’s going to be collateral damage everywhere,” said Frank Ruiz, a program director with California Audubon.  To irrigate their fields, the valley’s farmers rely completely on Colorado River water, which arrives by an 80-mile-long canal. And the Salton Sea, the state’s largest lake, relies on water draining from those fields to stay full.  But it’s been shrinking for decades, killing off fish species that attract migratory birds and exposing lake bed that generates dust that is harmful to human health.  Now, with cuts in water use coming after two decades of drought that have left the Colorado’s reservoirs at dangerously low levels, the sea will shrink even faster. “Less water coming to the farmers, less water coming into the Salton Sea,” Mr. Ruiz said. “That’s just the pure math.” … ”  Read more from the New York Times (gift article).

Salton Sea Management Program: Milestone Achieved for the Species Conservation Habitat Project

Earlier this month, the New River started flowing through the New River diversion structure at the Species Conservation Habitat (SCH) project. This signifies an important milestone for the SCH project located at the southern end of the Salton Sea. In the coming months, water from the Sea will also be pumped into the diversion structure to be mixed with New River water and then make its way into the habitat ponds. The network of ponds and wetland aim to enhance environmental values while suppressing dust to reduce potential emissions coming from this area.  Construction of the SCH project will continue through 2023 and is on schedule for completion by the end of this year. The 4,100-acre SCH is the first of many projects the Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP) team will implement as part of the SSMP Phase 1: 10-Year Plan.  Click here to watch a recent video of the New River Diversion structure that was shared on CNRA’s social media accounts.

Commentary:  I revisited my Valley Voice about the Salton Sea from 20 years ago: not much has changed

Gary Rosenblum, former risk manager for the City of Palm Desert, writes, “Twenty years ago, The Desert Sun published a Valley Voice I wrote about the Salton Sea. Sadly, little of substance has changed, and the negative repercussions I predicted are happening.  Twenty years ago, adding more water sourced from the Gulf of California was feasible. Now adding more water to the sea is impossible because the state planning group deemed sourcing water from the gulf financially infeasible. So, 20 years of dithering has resulted in “saving” the sea only without adding water.  Twenty years ago, we could have started building desalination plants using solar energy and geothermal energy. Today, all that infrastructure would be producing additional water, but that’s another zero.  … ”  Read more from the Desert Sun.

SAN DIEGO

Wintry weather could worsen California’s sewage influx from Tijuana

“Wet winter weather is exacerbating an already stinky situation for San Diego County, where a slurry of sewage has been seeping across the southern border for the past two weeks.   “What I expect is that they double the volume of wastewater over the wet days that we are anticipating,” Hassan Davani, an assistant professor of water resources engineering at San Diego State University, told The Hill.  The sewage influx is the result of a pipeline rupture across the border in Tijuana that began on Feb. 10, according to the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), a U.S.-Mexican entity that oversees shared water resources. … ”  Read more from The Hill.

Editorial: Promises won’t stop Tijuana sewage spills or San Diego beach closures. We’re sick of them. – The San Diego Union-Tribune

The San Diego Union-Tribune editorial board writes, “The politicians and government bureaucrats who have long depicted the continual flow of untreated sewage — from broken infrastructure in Tijuana to San Diego area beaches — as a knotty, difficult problem have one big thing cutting against their characterizations: the whole of human history. Ancient civilizations of Greek, Roman, Persian, Indian and Chinese people created basic, effective sewage systems, and progress has continued for centuries. The flush toilet was patented in London in the 18th century. Both Chicago and New York rapidly improved their sewage systems in response to local crises in the 19th century. The engineering challenges are not complex. What’s required is resolve and money. Yet local sewage-related beach closures are more common than they’ve been in years. … ”  Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.

SEE ALSO:  Tijuana sewage hit San Diego beaches at record pace in 2022. What will this summer bring?, from the LA Times

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Along the Colorado River …

Snowpack in the upper Colorado River basin has reached its annual average with more winter to go

“Snow totals in the upper Colorado River basin have already reached their average annual peak much earlier than normal.  Mountain snow turns into the Colorado River, which supplies water to 40 million people throughout the Southwest.  Right now, it’s still piling up, past the usual amount that’s on the ground when it starts to melt off in the Spring. Normally, that total isn’t reached until early April. … ”  Read more from KJZZ.

Who shoulders Mother Nature’s cut of the Colorado River?

“Alongside farmers, ranchers and sprawling urban cities, Mother Nature has long sipped her share of the Colorado River — draining away enough water through evaporation and seepage to support nearly 6 million families each year.  But as decades of drought strain major reservoirs in the Mountain West, threatening future water supplies and hydropower, states are divided over who should be picking up nature’s tab for the huge amount of water lost on the 1,500-mile-long waterway.  The Upper Basin states — Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — already account for some 468,000 acre-feet of water that evaporates from its reservoirs each year. But the Lower Basin states — Arizona, California and Nevada — face no penalty for the more 1.5 million acre-feet that essentially disappears between Lees Ferry in Arizona and the U.S.-Mexico border, lost annually to an arid climate and leaks in canals that channel water to farms and communities. That split in accounting methods is now at the heart of a debate over how the states should address shortfalls in the Colorado River, faced with demands from the Biden administration to cut their combined use by up to 4 million-acre feet — a massive amount of water on scale with California’s annual consumption. … ”  Read more from E&E News.

Water augmentation tested as Colorado River dwindles

” … While the lack of groundwater regulation plagues rural Arizona, there are proposed ways to create a larger supply in the region without depending on dwindling amounts from the Colorado River and groundwater.Sarah Porter, director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University, called the Colorado River crisis Arizona’s most imminent water problem.  Water augmentation adds additional water supplies to the ones that already exist with the goal of being prepared for the future. Multiple augmentation methods have been tested throughout the state, but like regulation, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.  Juliet McKenna, principal hydrogeologist at Montgomery and Associates, said augmentation is “essential.” She said stormwater and flood management are ways to augment water supplies. … ”  Read the full story at Arizona Capitol Times.

Thousands of Tucson homes use 250% more water than you. Now what?

“Tucson Water will work this year to get water use reduced by nearly 8,000 households — almost half of them in the Catalina Foothills — that each consume more than 250% of an average household’s annual use.  It will mostly do so by encouraging water-use “self-audits” and voluntary conservation.  But the utility is also evaluating the possibility and feasibility of imposing a “drought surcharge” on water bills. Probably in the next few months and definitely this year, its officials say they will provide surcharge options to the City Council. … ”  Read more from the Arizona Daily Star.

Groundwater mostly unregulated, impacts rural areas

“Groundwater is one of the main water resources for most of Arizona. It is finite and mostly unregulated, especially in rural communities that solely depend on it.  To change this, in 2022, the basins around Douglas and Kingman became regulated by the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR).  Douglas and its surrounding groundwater basin became an Active Management Area (AMA) through a local ballot initiative in the 2022 election. Basins can be designated as AMAs when groundwater is the largest supplier of water to a given area and given specific hydrologic characteristics. … ”  Read more from the Arizona Capitol Times.

SEE ALSO:  Protect legacy of water conservation – reject SB1660, from the Arizona Capitol Times

New report offers new farming practices to help during historic drought

“A new report from the University of Arizona Southwest Center offers new farming practices and water policies that could help farmers during the historic water crisis.  These practices aim to keep the farming industry prosperous and sustain water in the lower Colorado basin.  “We don’t want to see any farms go permanently out of business, nor do we want to see barren soil with tumbleweeds on it for 10 years before we come up with solutions,” said Gary Nabhan, research social scientist at the University of Arizona Southwest Center. … ”  Read more from Channel 13.

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In national water news this weekend …

Waters of the United States (WOTUS): Frequently asked questions about the scope of the Clean Water Act

“Congress established the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, also known as the Clean Water Act (CWA), to restore and protect the quality of the nation’s surface waters. The CWA protects “navigable waters,” defined in the statute as “waters of the United States, including the territorial Policy seas.” The CWA does not further define the term waters of the United States (WOTUS), which determines which waters are federally regulated. Thus, in implementing the CWA, the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—the two agencies that administer the statute—have defined the term in regulations. However, Congress’s intent as to the meaning of WOTUS has been debated and litigated for more than four decades. … ”  Continue reading from the Congressional Research Service.

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