On the calendar today …
- USGS Drought Science for the Colorado River Basin: What do we have? How do we use it? and Where is the cool communication tech? from 11am to 12pm. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducts a wide variety of science to improve the understanding of landscape-scale ecosystems. The Colorado River Basin: Actionable and Strategic Integrated Science and Technology (ASIST) project is accelerating interdisciplinary science and application of advanced technology for complex stakeholder driven challenges in the Colorado River Basin. A central priority for USGS is integration of new technology to improve the findability of USGS science related to the impacts of drought, climate change, and other drivers of change across the landscape. This presentation will describe high-impact USGS science currently conducted, how science questions are becoming more complex across the landscape, actions to bring together resources to help find solutions, and where new technology is being leveraged to improve communications of available science. Click here to join webinar.
In California water news today …
These maps show how California’s extremely stormy winter unfolded
“Atmospheric rivers and cold winter storms have pummeled California since December, deluging the state with rain and building up extreme snow totals. The state’s snowpack is one of its largest ever, in some spots in the southern Sierra Nevada sitting at more than 300 percent of normal levels. The moisture parade didn’t stop at the coast — it also buried the interior West in snow. This week, Utah broke a 1952 statewide record for the amount of water contained in snowpack. Alta Ski Area in Utah topped 875 inches of snow for the season — its snowiest on record. But what was behind the endless barrage of storms? And how is the changing climate playing a role? … ” Read more from the Washington Post (gift article).
SEE ALSO: 7 charts that explain California’s wild winter of 2023, from the San Jose Mercury News
Pacific Fisheries Management Council recommends closure of 2023 ocean salmon fisheries
“Today, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) acted unanimously to recommend a full closure of California’s commercial and recreational ocean salmon season. Options put forward by the PFMC last month for public review, which were developed by industry representatives, all proposed closure of both commercial and sport ocean salmon fisheries off California. This action follows recent projections showing Chinook salmon abundance off California is at historic lows. After reviewing the Council’s recommendation, it is expected that the National Marine Fisheries Service will take regulatory action to enact the closure, effective in mid-May. In addition, the California Fish and Game Commission will consider whether to adopt a closure of inland salmon fisheries at its teleconference on May 17. … ” Read more from the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
SEE ALSO:
- US panel approves salmon fishing ban for much of West Coast, from the Associated Press via Channel 2
- Years of drought force shutdown of salmon fishing season off California, from the Washington Post
- Newsom Administration Requests Federal Fishery Disaster Ahead of Salmon Season Closure, press release from Governor Newsom’s office
Recent rains are helping boost some California salmon populations. Here’s how.
“The impacts of a wet season in California can be far-reaching — they’re dangerous and can be destructive. But the water dumped on the state is essential to supplying some 40 million Californians with everyday necessities and bolstering the state’s billion-dollar agricultural industry. There’s another essential but easily overlooked benefit to an exceptionally wet winter. The Yolo and Sutter bypasses were designed for flood control, diverting water and, in turn, creating a floodplain. It’s great for us humans, but it’s also a feast for wildlife. It’s easy to notice the abundance of birds hanging along these waterways on their annual Pacific Flyway journey, but underneath the surface, millions of juvenile salmon are bulking up for their trip to the Pacific Ocean before coming back to freshwater to spawn. … ” Read more from Capital Public Radio.
How flooded farmlands are helping feed fish in California
“A California-based non-profit has partnered with Central California farmers in an effort to grow food for salmon and trout by voluntarily flooding their own fields, in hopes of improving the health and lifecycle of the wild fish. California Trout officials say the organization has implemented what’s called a “reverse auction model”, which allows it to partner with a willing ag producer for the purpose of growing fish food in the off-season while paying them for the use of their land during that time. In this year’s inaugural auction, rice farmers were able to compete to be paid to manage their fields as wetland food factories during the winter months. The organization says that the same field will go back to growing food for people during the spring and summer seasons. CalTrout conducted the auction through a blind bidding process and says the average cost of selected bids was around $50 per acre cycle. … ” Read more from Your Central Valley.
California has a new take on mezcal and tequila. How Sacramento-area farmers are leading it
“On recent a brisk March morning in Woodland’s rolling hills, Raul “Reppo” Chavez was already covered in sweat. Chavez and his cousin Antonio had spent the last half-hour hacking away at their agave plants — monstrous pineapple-looking beasts whose spiky leaves are all that can be seen above the soil. The jimadors, as the farmers of the unique succulent are called, were harvesting agave that they planted six to eight years ago. After a stormy weekend, they will roast the 100-pound agave hearts (known as piñas) for five to seven days in an 8-feet-deep pit covered with pumice and volcanic rocks from around Mount Lassen. This is where the burgeoning “Mezcalifornia” movement begins. It ends up in small-batch agave spirits produced by craft distilleries throughout the state. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta water districts to receive appellate attorneys’ fees as private attorneys’ general after successfully prosecuting the State Water Resources Control Board’s curtailment overreach in 2015
“On April 4, 2023, the Santa Clara County Superior Court ordered the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) to reimburse a group of California irrigation districts and water agencies (Districts) for substantial appellate attorneys’ fees incurred defending California water rights holders as private attorneys’ general against the State Board’s illegal curtailment actions in 2015 (Appellate Attorneys’ Fees Order). The Appellate Attorneys’ Fees Order is the most recent chapter in the chronicle of the California Curtailment Cases, initially filed seven years ago and coordinated for trial in the Santa Clara County Superior Court. The Districts slated to recoup attorneys’ fees for successfully defeating challenges by the State Board on appeal include Byron-Bethany Irrigation District, Banta Carbona Irrigation District, Central Delta Water Agency, Patterson Irrigation District, San Joaquin Tributaries Authority, South Delta Water Agency, and South San Joaquin Irrigation District. Although the final calculation of appellate attorneys’ fees is pending, the final award is estimated to be in excess of $735,000. … ” Read more from Somach Simmons & Dunn.
How does California define drought? April update shows 75% of state recovered
“After months of continuous wet weather, California’s drought is leaps and bounds from where it was this time two years ago — a reflection of both extreme rain and one of the state’s largest snowpacks on record. California entered what would be its driest three-year-stretch in 2020 and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision in March to lift drought measures signaled a near end to the three-year plight. The state continues to reap the benefits of a wet water year as moderate and severe drought conditions slowly diminish in both the northern and southern areas, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
Snow drought current conditions and impacts in the West
“Early April is the typical period of peak snow water equivalent (SWE) in the West, and April 1 SWE is one of the initial indicators of potential spring and summer water supply. Serious drought concerns remain in parts of the Pacific Northwest in part due to lack of snow, while record-high SWE in California, Nevada, Utah, and western Colorado means spring and summer flooding potential. According to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s reservoir level projections, Lake Powell will rise significantly by summer, whereas Lake Mead may continue to fall. Both reservoirs will still be at critically low levels by the end of the year given more than 20 years of drought. … ” Read more from NIDIS.
Biden-Harris administration announces $20 million from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for drought resilience projects in California and Utah
“As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure and make communities more resilient to the climate crisis, the Department of the Interior today announced $20 million for four small surface and groundwater storage projects in California and Utah. These projects, funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, are essential tools to help conserve water and increase the efficiency of water use in the Colorado River Basin. The announcement comes as Department and Biden-Harris administration officials are traveling across the Colorado River Basin as part the Investing in America tour to highlight investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Combined, these laws represent the largest investments in climate resilience in the nation’s history and provide unprecedented resources to support the Administration’s comprehensive, government-wide approach to make Western communities more resilient to drought and climate change. … ” Read more from the Bureau of Reclamation.
In commentary today …
Painful step: Shutdown of fishing season necessary to save California salmon
Charlton H. Bonham, the director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, writes, “Every year a remarkable fish swims through California’s rivers into the Pacific Ocean and then returns to start again for a new generation. Salmon are a cornerstone of religions, creation stories, culture, health and subsistence of Indigenous peoples. Forest ecosystems depend on salmon to nourish their roots. Hardworking people eke out a living catching them for delicious meals. California needs salmon to thrive. Historically, salmon populations returning to California rivers were estimated to be in the millions, annually. Those numbers have diminished since the 1950s. Each reason traces to humans – how we use and manage land and water, and built our infrastructure over decades, now with an overlay of extreme climate disruption, which traces to humans, too. This year, after almost 10 years of drought with episodic swings of rain, dry, snow and repeat, salmon are not doing well. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
California could have avoided salmon season shutdown. Did we learn nothing last time?
Sarah Bates, commercial fisher and fisheries advocate, writes, “Fishery managers announced this week that salmon fishing in California and most of Oregon is completely closed this year. No weekend trips on the river, no local salmon on the barbecue, no opportunity to see your kid reel in a fish. I fish salmon commercially from Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. You can see the Golden Gate Bridge from my boat, where Chinook have passed for millions of years on their journey from the ocean, through the bay and Delta, up the Sacramento River. There is communal anticipation before the first trip of the summer, checking anchor winches and hydraulic hoses, safety equipment, leaders, weather reports. Boats are freshly painted and deck tanks for holding fish are installed. Not this year – this year feels like a funeral. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
Fixing Calif. water woes starts with first-hand look at Valley’s devastation
Congressman David Valadao and Congressman Bruce Westerman (Arkansas), write, “After a years-long drought, much of California is now under water. The state has been hit by a series of atmospheric rivers that have devastated Central Valley communities with flooding and caused widespread damage to farms, businesses, homes, and critical infrastructure. This flooding has brought renewed attention to California’s water problems. While this desperately needed rainwater has helped to replenish reservoirs and depleted groundwater, we’ve wasted a seemingly immeasurable amount of water that we could have used for when we’re in another inevitable period of drought. Eventually, this rain will stop. California’s Department of Water Resources calls drought a “recurring feature of our climate” here in the state – something lifelong residents know all too well. … ” Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun.
Newsom is right to lift California’s drought restrictions, but he must prioritize water storage
The Southern California New Group editorial board writes, “Has it stopped raining yet? Well, yes, it has, although there was a time this early spring in which it felt like one of the wettest California winters since records have been kept was just going to keep pouring merrily along. But after three of the driest years ever in the Golden State, which lead to official declarations by an organization called the United States Drought Monitor that essentially all of California was suffering from drought conditions, all of our most populated areas, and our most essential agricultural ones as well, have been declared free from drought. Most importantly for our immediate water future, the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada is at a level that ties the previous all-time record from the 1950s. While the months of rain in our own backyards have been great for our Southern California suburban lawns — or xeriscapes, whatever — it’s the coming late-spring and early-summer runoff into rivers from that melting snow that will fully enable us to turn on our kitchen taps or water the roses without worrying that the pipes will go dry. … ” Read more from the OC Register.
Opinion: Catastrophic floods and breached levees reveal a problem California too often neglects
Jeffrey Mount, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California’s Water Policy Center, and Brett Sanders, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Samueli School of Engineering at UC Irvine, write, “For much of the past decade, Californians have been fixated on drought, and rightly so. But the flipside of the state’s volatile climate returned this year, reminding us that “normal” in a land of extremes can be either very wet or very dry. A dozen or more atmospheric rivers have caused more than $5 billion in damage in the state, with more damage expected when the Sierra Nevada snowpack melts in the coming weeks. State, federal and local governments need to give the risk of such floods the kind of attention we give droughts for several reasons. First, the potential economic damages of large floods well exceed those of droughts. And floods can be lethal. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Why April showers could bring May fires to California
Ruben Grijalva, former director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, writes, “Last fall, I was having breakfast in downtown Salinas when I overheard a waitress complaining about the air quality. The odor and light smoke drifting through town was coming from a “prescribed fire” or “controlled burn” that Cal Fire was conducting nearby. And, though the smell might be mildly annoying for a short period, the benefits of fighting fire with fire are tremendous. “Prescribed fires” are intentionally set fires under controlled conditions to thin, reduce or eliminate ground fuel so that when an uncontrolled fire burns through that area, it will have much less of an impact. Prescribed fires remain one of the best wildfire prevention strategies in the state’s toolbox and a beneficial use of fire. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Scott River Watershed’s drought is over, AgWA tells Water Board Members
“The Scott River watershed’s drought is over, and the State’s emergency drought regulation should be rescinded immediately, a grassroots group told the State Water Resources Control Board (SWB) yesterday. Representatives of Scott Valley Agriculture Water Alliance (AgWA) laid out their case to board members of the SWB: the Emergency Regulation currently governing Scott Valley’s small ranching community has been unfair from the beginning and can no longer be justified after this winter’s heavy snows. “Scott Valley was regulated in an unprecedented and unfair manner last year, and now we’ve had a very decent winter,” Theodora Johnson, a local rancher and AgWA spokesperson told Board members. “Our snowpack surveys so far are reading over 150%, yet we are still being required to reduce our groundwater use for the upcoming irrigation season by 30% to avoid 100% curtailment.” … ” Continue reading this press release from the Scott Valley Agriculture Water Alliance.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Snow loads to snowmelt: Officials urge caution this spring
“Historic snow caused structure concerns for property owners and businesses this season and now that massive snowpack will create a whole new set of hazards once it starts to melt. Following one of the most prolific snow seasons, officials are urging caution and to make safety a top priority when venturing outdoors. The snowpack was recorded at 221% of normal on Monday at Phillips Station, near Sierra-at-Tahoe and the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab near Donner Summit recorded 220 inches last month making it the snowiest March ever. With that historic snowpack set to melt in the coming weeks and months, officials from California State Parks’ Division of Boating and Waterways, the Department of Water Resources and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) are urging the public to take extra precautions and to be aware of cold-water dangers this spring to avoid a tragedy. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Official: Yuba County water supply in ‘fantastic shape’
“An official with Yuba Water Agency gave an update on the water supply in Yuba County on Tuesday suggesting that thanks to recent storms and proper management, the county is in “fantastic shape” for the year. According to Ryan McNally, Yuba Water’s director of water resources and flood risk reduction, water supply in Yuba County is in excellent condition. “After three very dry years, Yuba County’s water supply is in fantastic shape this year, thanks to the exceptionally wet and snowy winter we’ve had,” McNally said Tuesday during a Yuba Water Agency Board of Directors meeting. … ” Read more from the Appeal Democrat.
NAPA/SONOMA
Sonoma County introduces slate of new regulations for water wells
“Some 40,000 water wells dot the Sonoma County landscape and they’ve got some new rules. Despite concerns over data gaps and allowable pumping, Sonoma County’s board of supervisors approved a new slate of regulations for water wells by a 3-2 vote Tuesday, April 4th. Supervisor Susan Gorin, one of two no-voters, said the rules don’t go far enough to protect dwindling groundwater in vulnerable areas. “Last year, we found that in Sonoma Valley, the rate of withdrawal was about 1400 acre feet greater than the sustainable recharge rate,” Gorin said. “We have a responsibility to stabilize that withdrawal.” … ” Read more from Northern California Public Media.
Sonoma County tackles the next drought with wastewater recycling and rainwater harvesting programs
“As California continues to grapple with recurrent droughts and the impacts of climate change, Sonoma County is implementing innovative water conservation strategies to ensure water security and promote sustainability. By investing in wastewater recycling and rainwater harvesting initiatives, the county aims to build resilience and safeguard water resources for its residents and industries. Wastewater recycling has emerged as a critical strategy in combating drought in California. Healdsburg has managed to reduce the city’s water use by 50% since 2020 through the use of non-potable water produced by its wastewater-reclamation facility. The plant recycles 350 million gallons of effluent annually, easing pressure on regional reservoirs and wells while promoting a culture of water conservation among residents. … ” Read more from the Sonoma County Gazette.
Napa: Water use still major concern, despite historic rainfall
“While the recent atmospheric rivers may have brought some relief to drought-ridden California, a leading water expert explained why the months of deluge will not alleviate the larger groundwater depletion in the state. The 2023 Napa RISE Climate and Wine Symposium, hosted by the nonprofit Napa Green, kicked off Wednesday. Six days of events will take place during April at Charles Krug Winery with a series of discussions from environmental leaders and industry experts and professionals to discuss the sustainability efforts in Napa Valley. Jay Famiglietti, a hydrologist and global futures professor at Arizona State University and former senior water scientist at NASA’s jet propulsion lab, spoke about California’s groundwater use and warned wine industry representatives in attendance that just because the state looks to be moving out of drought territory, groundwater conservation should still be a priority. … ” Read more from the Napa Register.
BAY AREA
What will it cost to protect the Bay Area from sea level rise? Try $110 billion, says state agency
“There’s no shortage of scientific reports on how sea level rise might affect the Bay Area. Now there’s an economic study of what it could cost the region to prepare itself beforehand, and the amount is as daunting as the potential threat: $110 billion. That is the rough estimate to fully protect all vulnerable shorelines in 2050 if daily tides climb 17 inches — the mid-range scenario of current state projections — and there is a 100-year storm. The year-long study also finds that, so far, just $5.5 billion in public funds have been committed to adaptation efforts during that time frame. The $104.5 billion gap could shrink as developers spend money to remake the shoreline as part of private commercial projects, as is happening in San Francisco and several cities on the peninsula. But it’s an enormous figure by any measure, members of the Bay Conservation and Development Commission conceded on Thursday after a preview of the results of the study. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Rain or shine in the Bay Area? Here’s what the holiday weekend has in store
“Residents will wake to the pitter-patter of rain Friday morning as a low-pressure system streams showers into Northern California. Soils across the state are still saturated from this past winter’s storms, but these showers shouldn’t last long. A ridge of high pressure is forecast to set up shop over the Central Valley, ushering in warm, dry air from the tropics. This will help remove chances of rain for a lot of Northern California over the weekend. And aside from a few holdouts, it’s looking like the Bay Area might bask in sunshine and above-average temperatures by the end of the weekend. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Marin Municipal Water District seeks grant to study reservoir expansion
“The Marin Municipal Water District is seeking nearly $662,000 in federal funding to study the potential of increasing water storage at its three largest reservoirs. The district has not added or expanded reservoirs since the early 1980s. After the drought of 2020-2021 threatened to deplete local reservoirs, the agency decided to explore the option as part of a recently adopted roadmap to expand its water supplies. The district board voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve the application for the grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. “Understanding our ability to increase storage is part of the integrated roadmap that we approved,” board member Ranjiv Khush said before the vote. “It seems like moving forward with this is in alignment with our strategy.” … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
CENTRAL COAST
The erosion of beaches in Marina finally has a fighting chance to end.
“With all the disaster this past winter has wrought, there is a silver lining beyond the recharge to the region’s aquifers: beach replenishment. Sand on the beaches, locally, comes from the land, and it arrives there in one of two ways: erosion from existing dunes or rock formations or through the waves, with sand that is carried from the outflow where a river meets sea. In the case of the Salinas River, this is shaping up to be a historic year for such replenishment, in large part because of the cessation, at the end of 2020, of the Cemex sand mine in Marina, which captured much of the sand that was traveling south down the coast from the river mouth, which is only opened up by the county in heavy rain years like this one. (The steam still coming out of the Cemex plant is because the company has until the end of 2023 to process and offload its stockpiled sand, per a consent order from the California Coastal Commission.) … ” Read more from Monterey Weekly.
California expedites over $17 million in emergency funding to deliver clean drinking water to Central Coast communities
“The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today expedited $17 million in funding from its Urban Community Drought Relief Program to two underrepresented communities to support consolidation of 10 water systems and address water quality issues. The funding will benefit communities in San Benito and Monterey Counties who rely almost solely on groundwater for their drinking water supply. The County of San Benito will receive $13.2 million to support the consolidation of four failing small water systems with the local urban water supplier, Sunnyslope Water District. In neighboring Monterey County, California Water Service will receive $4.2 million to consolidate six failing small water systems. All of the small water systems that will benefit from this funding are currently facing critical emergencies due to contaminated groundwater wells and groundwater supplies depleted by successive years of drought. … ” Read more from the Department of Water Resources.
California’s energy department begins cleaning up everything that HVI Cat Canyon left behind
“California’s Department of Conservation is embarking on the largest oil well plugging and abandonment project in the state’s history, and it’s in Santa Barbara County. The department’s Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) received $34 million from the state to plug 171 abandoned HVI Cat Canyon Inc. wells. HVI—formerly known as Greka Oil Company—spilled approximately 26,584 barrels of crude oil (about 1.1 million gallons) with more than 180 spills for the 15 to 20 years it operated in the county, according to a recent federal lawsuit ruling against the oil company. The federal lawsuit (filed in 2011) concluded in March when the judge ordered HVI to pay $65 million to various state and federal agencies for oil spills between 2005 and 2010. … ” Read more from the Santa Maria Sun.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Ag giant, neighbors and authorities clash as Tulare Lake refills
“Millions of acre feet of water are about to melt in the Southern Sierra Nevada. The water – trillions of gallons of it – will travel down the four rivers that feed into the Tulare Lake Basin, bringing flooding to the area that hasn’t been seen since the late ’90s. In fact, the amount of water heading to Tulare Lake is unprecedented, with an historic snowpack approaching or exceeding 300% of average. No one in Kings County seems exactly sure what to do with it. As the crisis looms, the fighting and finger-pointing are turning ugly. Tensions came to a head at an emergency meeting of the Kings County Board of Supervisors held Saturday, March 18. It was the third emergency meeting in as many days, but this one was different. … ” Read more from the Valley Voice.
Kings County moves to protect Corcoran from floodwaters
“Officials with the Kings County Department of Public Works crew announced they removed an earthen dam placed on the Lovelace gate between Reclamation District 749 and Lovelace Basin. The open gate allows water to flow from the 749 into Lovelace to continue to follow into the low points of the basin point of the Tulare Lake Basin and flow water away from the City of Corcoran. Authorities say assessment of water releases continues to be monitored for local reservoirs that are full or reaching maximum capacity. They warned that residents should remain alert and stay watchful for any signs of damage or erosion along waterways, rivers, streams, and canals. … ” Read more from Your Central Valley.
How a Central Valley school district prepares for the terrifying threat of disastrous flooding
“Every day Daniel Barragan drives on a bridge over the San Joaquin River, looking for any worrisome sign that it could be rising. He points out an entire city park that has already been swallowed by its waters, but he’s seen worse. “Things are low, but that can change overnight,” said Barragan, the director of maintenance, operations and transportation for Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified School. Back-to-back rainstorms have left the Central Valley town of Firebaugh soggy and the river that runs through it swollen. The river isn’t as high as it was two weeks ago when 50,000 sandbags were placed on its banks and residents were warned they may have to evacuate. But local officials don’t plan on letting down their guard. Schools often play an outsize role in rural communities, and that’s true in Firebaugh, a community of 9,000 that’s about 40 miles west of Fresno. … ” Read more from KVPR.
Kern groundwater sustainability agencies work to reverse ‘inadequate’ status
“In March, the California Department of Water Resources deemed the Groundwater Sustainability Plan for six groundwater basins across the state to be inadequate. The Kern County Subbasin was on that list. The Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District is a part of the Kern County Subbasin, which is managed by the Kern River Groundwater Sustainability Agency. Officials say despite their management plans being insufficient, they are still working to implement their plans at the local level. “This is too important for us to have this turned over to the state board. We just can’t have that,” said Kern River GSA Board Member Gene Lundquist. … ” Read more from Channel 23.
Army Corps unveils Isabella Dam modifications in ribbon cutting ceremony
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District held a ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday, April 4, at Isabella Dam in Lake Isabella to mark the end of Phase 2 construction on the Isabella Dam Safety Modification Project. The purpose of the project is to reduce flood risk for the southern Central Valley, including Bakersfield, and to provide water storage for downstream water users. “The amount of technical expertise on display behind me is matched only by the incredible and collaborative relationships between our partners,” said Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, USACE commanding general, as he stood in front of the new 28-foot-high labyrinth weir at Isabella Dam. “I want to extend a very special thanks to the community who came together to help make today a reality.” Isabella Dam consists of a main and auxiliary dam located just north of Lake Isabella, California. In 2006, a USACE study found the dam vulnerable to three potential failure modes: overtopping, seepage, and seismic damage. The Isabella Dam improvements, begun in late 2017, were designed to address each of these failure modes. … ” Read more from the Army Corps of Engineers.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Feds give millions to desert water projects, warn a wet year is not enough
“Water districts serving the California desert will receive nearly $18 million in federal infrastructure funds, officials announced this week, including for Imperial County’s first major reservoir and critical repairs to the aging All-American Canal. The grants and loans come days before a likely federal announcement on possible cuts or other changes to Colorado River allocations through 2026 across seven Western states. In the run-up to that announcement, senior Biden Administration officials and members of Congress have been touring California and other states doling out hundreds of millions in funds for water projects, while warning that this year’s heavy snow and rain are not enough to end long-term drought. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun..
Along the Colorado River …
FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris administration announces new investments to protect the Colorado River System
“The Biden-Harris Administration is leading a whole-of-government effort to make Western communities more resilient to climate change and the ongoing megadrought by harnessing the full resources of the President’s historic Investing in America agenda. The Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law together include $15.4 billion to enhance the West’s resilience to drought, the largest investment in climate resilience in our nation’s history. This week, senior officials from the White House and the Department of the Interior traveled to Arizona, California, Colorado, and Nevada to highlight the Administration’s unprecedented investments in drought resilience and close collaboration with Colorado River Basin states, Tribes, water managers, farmers, irrigators, and other stakeholders. … ” Read more from the White House.
Tribe, US officials reach deal to save Colorado River water
“A Native American tribe in Arizona reached a deal Thursday with the U.S. government not to use some of its Colorado River water rights in return for $150 million and funding for a pipeline project. The $233 million pact with the Gila River Indian Community, announced in Phoenix, was hailed as an example of the kind of cooperation needed to rescue a river crucial to a massive agricultural industry and essential to more than 40 million people in seven Western U.S. states and Mexico. Officials termed it “compensated conservation.” It’s part of a broader effort to get states that rely on the Colorado River to substantially lessen their water use amid an ongoing drought that has dramatically dried up reservoirs including Lake Mead behind Hoover Dam. … ” Read more from ABC News.
Arizona announces $233 million in Colorado River water conservation efforts
“On the heels of one of the wettest Arizona winters in history, federal, state, local and tribal leaders united Thursday to announce a total of $233 million in funding for water conservation agreements to aid the Gila River Indian Community and other Colorado River users. Taken together, officials said, the investments are projected to save roughly 200,000 acre-feet of water annually and provide enough water for more than half a million people per year. They’re also projected to raise the water level by two feet each year in Lake Mead — a critical but rapidly depleting reservoir that straddles Arizona and Nevada. Despite recent rain and snow, the Colorado River — a lifeline for communities throughout the U.S. Southwest — remains strikingly low and is forecasted to hit new record low water levels this month. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
SEE ALSO: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Up to $233 Million in Water Conservation Funding for Gila River Indian Community, from the Bureau of Reclamation
Tucson to leave more than a third of its CAP supply in Lake Mead
“Tucson is prepared to leave up to 110,000 acre-feet of its CAP drinking water supply in Lake Mead in the next three years to help prop up the declining reservoir, Mayor Regina Romero announced Thursday. The city will leave 50,000 acre-feet — more than one-third of its total annual Central Arizona Project supply — in the lake in 2023, and up to 30,000 acre-feet annually in both 2024 and 2025, the mayor’s office said in a news release. Tucson will be compensated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for leaving that water in the lake, under a new federal water system conservation program providing drought relief money for the West, particularly the Colorado River Basin. How much money the city will get wasn’t disclosed Thursday. … ” Read more from the Arizona Daily Star.
Science tackles the West’s megadrought
“Water had to be trucked in for household use in the affluent suburb outside Scottsdale, Arizona. The approximately 1,000 residents of the large, suburban stucco homes of Rio Verde were forced to take shorter showers and eat from paper plates. Though the politics behind the water shut-off are complex, the crisis highlighted the impacts of climate change and the 23-year drought it has fueled in the West. Forty million people in the southwestern United States rely on the Colorado River. Elsewhere in the vast region it serves, farmers in southern California are replacing hundreds of acres of almond trees with crops that need less water. Residents in and around Las Vegas are pulling out sod under a new law that mandates removing nonfunctional lawns by 2027, such as turf strips in commercial shopping areas or highway medians. … ” Read more from Yale Climate Connections.
Audio: Farmers on the California-Arizona border may face their first-ever cuts to water
“Despite a wet winter, the drought crisis along the Colorado River remains dire and produce farmers along the California-Arizona border may be facing their first ever cuts to irrigation water.” Listen at NPR.
A losing battle over water rights in the Nevada desert
“At nearly every turn in their 14-year-long battle with the federal government over water in the Nevada desert, Victor and Annette Fuentes have suffered defeat. Their losses are evident here on their 40-acre parcel, a church camp dubbed the “Patch of Heaven,” surrounded on all sides by the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, which is the largest remaining oasis in the Mojave Desert. The grounds surrounding a small cluster of buildings, including bunk houses, a canteen and a former baptismal pool, are dry and dusty. On the public lands that border its northern edge — just beyond a series of small signs stating “Habitat Restoration in Progress Please Keep Out” and “National Wildlife Refuge: Unauthorized Entry Prohibited” — a shallow depression where the water once flowed is now largely filled with sand, its former route identifiable by the dead vegetation on its banks. … ” Read more from E&E News.
How beavers could help the Colorado River survive future droughts
“The humble beaver could become one of America’s hardest working allies in the race to adapt to climate change. Beavers are natural engineers. They instinctively build dams and canals of water to keep themselves safe because they’re clumsy on land. And capturing that water creates ecosystems for other animals to survive, earning beavers the moniker of a “keystone species.” A growing movement of nonprofits, experts and government agencies see a potential to take a lesson from beavers’ natural engineering prowess to capture more of that water for the places that desperately need it. … ” Read more from ABC News.
Colorado’s snowpack is peaking higher than usual — which brings spring flooding to mind
“Colorado’s snow season is nearing its typical peak with above-average snowpack, and water officials are beginning to worry about flooding and gauging potential reservoir releases. But in some places, the snow just keeps coming. Each year, April marks the point in the season when the snowpack starts to reach its peak as temperatures warm and spring runoff begins. It’s also an important point for water officials, water users and even emergency managers: How high the snow piles up is a key indicator of water supply for the next year, but how fast it melts can have big impacts on flooding and seasonal irrigation. “We do anticipate high water,” said Sgt. Todd Wheeler, emergency management coordinator for Moffat County in northwestern Colorado. “Will it be higher than normal? That remains to be seen.” … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun.
In national water news today …
Biden vetoes congressional bid to undo his water regulations
“President Biden on Thursday vetoed an attempt by Congress to undo waterway pollution regulations put forward by his administration — marking the second veto of his presidency and effectively killing the attempt to nullify the water rule. Majorities of both chambers of Congress had voted to nix the Biden rules, which defined which waters are subject to federal protections. The White House had previously announced that Biden would veto the congressional measure, which is unlikely to be able to get the two-thirds majority needed to override the veto. … ” Read more from The Hill.
April 2, 2023 Sierra Near Real Time SWE Report
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