On the calendar today …
- LEG HEARING: Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water at 9am. Click here for the full agenda and remote access links.
- CONGRESSIONAL FIELD HEARING: The WATER for CA Act beginning at 2pm at the World Ag Expo in Tulare. The Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries will hold a legislative field hearing on H.R. 215 (Rep. Valadao) “Working to Advance Tangible and Effective Reforms for California Act” or the “WATER for California Act” and H.R. 872 (Rep. Calvert) “Federally Integrated Species Health Act” or the “FISH Act”. If you plan to attend in person, please RSVP to: John.Seibels@mail.house.gov. If you are not available to attend in person, the field hearing will also be streamed live HERE on the House Committee on Natural Resources YouTube channel.
In California water news today …
Could sightings of jelly-like creatures on California beaches signal El Niño on the horizon?
“Jim Serpa was like a giddy school kid exploring Mother Nature’s classroom as he scanned the sand. “There’s one … there’s another,” Serpa exclaimed as he walked along the damp high-tide line in north San Clemente on Monday, April 10. Dotting the shore were hundreds of “by-the-wind sailors,” jelly-like creatures known for their beautiful blue hues that get pushed to Southern California from tropical waters by wind and ocean currents. Thousands of the creatures were spotted Friday, April 7, about two miles from shore and by the weekend many had washed up at various beaches between the South Bay, Huntington Beach, Crystal Cove and San Clemente. The creatures’ scientific name is Velella velellas, and they are distinguished by their “sails” on top, which also look a little like a mohawk.Their appearance could be a sign of a changing weather pattern on the horizon – the onset of El Niño. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News (gift article).
Spring has sprung (finally) in California, and with warmer temperature, major snowmelt flooding looms. Plus: El Niño is rapidly developing…
Dr. Daniel Swain writes, “Well, things are finally calming down, weather-wise, in California after a rather extraordinary season. And March, in some ways, put an exclamation point on this very active period: it ended up being the coldest March on record in some parts of NorCal, and well colder than average almost everywhere else in CA. That is a truly remarkable statement, especially since the sustained centennial-scale warming trend in California has made it very difficult to experience long durations of record-breaking cold temperatures in recent decades. This very cold March has major implications for agriculture in California, and have also been part of the reason why the enormous Sierra snowpack has only just begun to melt as temperatures finally start to warm in early April. … ” Read more from Weather West.
As temps warm and California’s snowpack melts, officials brace for possible flooding
“As temperatures warm up and California’s historic snowpack starts to melt, concerns have been raised about where all that water will eventually go. Once all the water is released from the snowpack, officials anticipate potential flood impacts in the San Joaquin Valley and Tulare Lake, which has water for the first time in roughly four decades. The California Department of Water Resources on Tuesday is expected to hold a meeting with weather experts and federal flood authorities to discuss the snowmelt runoff forecast for the spring. Officials are also expected to address reservoir operations and the timing of this year’s snowmelt. … ” Read more from KABC 7.
An epic 31 atmospheric river storms transformed California. The mystery is why
“As winter approached, few anticipated what was about to hit California. Mired in a serious drought, the state was suddenly battered by an onslaught of 31 atmospheric river storms in a matter of months. While the number alone isn’t exceptional, the location, intensity and duration of these storms had a transforming effect on California’s climate. Record snowfall. Deadly flooding. The end of many drought restrictions. But one thing remains a mystery: Why did so many of these bands of water vapor, many back-to-back, slam into California? … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via Yahoo News.
Still no full allocation despite record snowpack
“Despite California’s record snowpack and promise of historic runoff, state and federal water regulators still cannot promise full water deliveries to farmers. The state Department of Water Resources boosted its State Water Project allocation – a promise of delivery to the 29 districts and local agencies that receive water from the state – to 75% in late March. The federal Central Valley Project promise followed shortly thereafter with its allocation of 80% of contracted deliveries to districts north and south of the Delta. Only the senior water rights contractors were promised 100% of their contracted allocations. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press.
DWR hosts Tribal Water Summit to discuss water issues with California Native American Tribes
“The Department of Water Resources (DWR), Tribal representatives from across the state and southwest, along with federal, state, and local agencies will gather in Sacramento on April 11 – 13 to discuss California water issues and strategies towards watershed resilience at the fourth Tribal Water Summit. The 2023 Tribal Water Summit is a unique collaboration opportunity created and organized on behalf of California’s Native American Tribes and DWR to identify and understand Tribal issues related to water. Consistent with the theme, The Water that Connects Us, the Summit will provide opportunities for knowledge sharing, and problem-solving to discuss how Tribal recommendations can align with current state policies such as the Governor’s Water Resilience Portfolio and broader water supply strategy. The event will also help include Tribal perspectives, resource management strategies, and policy recommendations in the California Water Plan Update 2023. … ” Read more from DWR News.
California storms hit beekeepers, but honey outlook’s sweet
“During California’s prolonged, wet winter, beekeeper Gene Brandi said he had to spend twice as much money on a sugary syrup to feed his honeybees and keep them alive. That’s because the bees sent to pollinate blooming almond orchards took longer than usual to emerge from their hives due to chilly temperatures, wind and rain. Since the bees weren’t out gathering nectar and pollen for nourishment, the 71-year-old beekeeper provided sustenance for them. “We probably fed twice as much than we’ve fed in a normal year,” said Brandi, of the Central Valley community of Los Banos. “It’s expensive to feed, but it’s more expensive if the hive dies.” … ” Read more from KABC 7.
Plenty of stormy weather to come with water issues
“When it rains it pours. At the beginning of this year the relentless drought that plagued California and the American West was considered the worst dry spell in 1,200 years. Measuring historical moisture patterns by looking at thousands of tree rings, scientists concluded that the West was in a “megadrought” from 2001 to 2022. Such perennial dryness has not been seen in the region since the Vikings sailed the North Atlantic and Mayans built temples in Mexico and Central America. Flip the calendar to 2023 and the majority of those that live in the Golden State have gone from begging for rain to begging for it to stop. In fact, there has been so much precipitation in the first three months of the new year that as of March 16th, the U.S. Drought Monitor determined that over 44 percent of the state was officially relieved of drought conditions altogether and no areas were now in the extreme or exceptional level of severity. Compare that to the end of last year when all of California was in some sort of drought category and almost 43 percent fell into that extreme or exceptional ranking. … ” Read more from Ag Web.
‘Dark situation’: Jared Huffman calls for relief after salmon season closure
“North Coast U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman joined former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a handful of business people affected by the closure of the salmon fishery for the season, calling for emergency funding to get to stakeholders faster than in past years. “This is not a happy occasion,” Huffman said as he began the news conference. “This dreary weather is pretty fitting for the dark situation that we’re all here to talk about; a statewide closure of the California salmon season is terrible news.” On Thursday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis announced they requested federal aid in the face of the economic downturn that will result from the closure of the fishery. … ” Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard.
Why more and more Americans are painting their lawns
“To paint or not to paint? That is the question that many homeowners are facing as their dreams for perfect turf are battered – whether it’s from inflation pushing pricier lawn care options out of reach, or droughts leading to water shortages. Increasingly, many are turning in the spreader for the paint can, opting, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal, for shades of green with names like “Fairway” and “Perennial Rye.” Where does this yen for turning the outside of the house into a trim green carpet come from? … ” Read more from The Conversation.
Water warriors: UCI experts work to inform public policy and educate about California’s water future
“Despite the recent series of atmospheric river storms that inundated California and more than tripled the Sierra Nevada’s vital snowpack, experts say that both the state and the region remain locked in a megadrought worse than anything the U.S. Southwest has seen in roughly a millennium. Unfortunately, this local crisis mirrors a global reality in which more than 40 percent of the world’s population will see increasing water shortages, while every day, almost 1,000 children die from preventable waterborne and sanitation-related diseases. At UCI, a group of scholars is working to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and public policy to help address this existential challenge to human survival. Water UCI aims to mobilize university experts in a variety of academic fields to not only conduct crucial research but provide educational and outreach programs, foster workforce development, and advance policy solutions to critical water problems facing the state, the nation and the world. … ” Read more from UCI Water.
Science Stories: Phantastic Phytoplankton
“The base of the estuarine food web is phytoplankton – microscopic, floating, single-celled organisms drifting on the currents (“phyto” meaning “plant” and “plankton” meaning “drifter”). Most people know that trees produce oxygen, but phytoplankton put them to shame. Phytoplankton in rivers, lakes, and oceans worldwide produce an estimated 80% of the world’s supply of oxygen. Phytoplankton are also the base of the aquatic food web – providing food for zooplankton, other invertebrates, and fish. They are also the source of the omega-3 fatty acids that make seafood so good for you! The Environmental Monitoring Program, a collaborative team of scientists and technicians from DWR, USBR, and CDFW, have been collecting phytoplankton samples to monitor the status and trends of phytoplankton in the San Francisco Estuary for the past forty years, and just recently made their data from 2008-2021 available online(opens in new tab). … “ Read more from the IEP.
In commentary today …
California’s water irony train is full
Todd Fitchette writes, “If a million acre feet of water is destined for Tulare Lake, the once-dry lakebed used to grow cotton, canning tomatoes, and other crops, will reassume its role as one of the largest freshwater lakes in the United States. California’s snowpack is close to 300% of normal in some places as nearly 900 inches of snow has fallen on top of Mammoth Mountain in the Eastern Sierra. And while Tulare Lake will likely fill for the first time in decades, California farmers still are not promised a full allotment of irrigation water. A day before an emergency meeting of the Kings County Board of Supervisors to address flooding on the Tulare Lake region, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack sent a letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, declaring 54 California counties a “primary natural disaster area due to recent drought.” Don’t use that word with farmers in the Tulare Lake region right now. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press.
Is this the end of California’s rivers?
Doug Obegi, Director of California River Restoration for the NRDC, writes, “If you care about California’s rivers, I’d encourage you to watch the beautiful documentary film River’s End, which is showing on PBS stations across the country this month and streaming online. The film documents the ongoing threats to California’s rivers and fisheries caused by unsustainable water diversions – which threatens thousands of salmon fishermen and women, Delta communities, Native American Tribes, and all of us who depend on healthy rivers and a healthy Bay-Delta estuary. It may seem strange to talk about the end of California’s rivers in a year when so many of them are flooding, after months of storms that battered the state and produced an epic snowpack. As flowing rivers wash away the nightmare of California’s most recent drought, they are also creating new crises of flooded communities, particularly poor, disadvantaged communities. … ” Read more from the NRDC.
Water mismanagement is an urgent wake-up call for Californians
William Bourdeau, executive vice president of Harris Farms, director of the Westlands Water District, and chairman of the Valley Future Foundation, writes, “As Californians, we are truly blessed to live in a state that has such abundant natural resources and vast expanses of farm land, making it a true epicenter of agriculture. The San Joaquin Valley, in particular, is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, producing a staggering number of crops that eventually find their way to our tables. It is imperative that we understand and appreciate the importance of agriculture in California, and more broadly, across the United States. It’s not just a matter of convenience or choice. A robust domestic food supply capability has immense national security ramifications. A lack of food supply puts us at a significant disadvantage – not just as portions of the population go hungry, but because we may be functionally dependent on imports from other countries. California’s agriculture plays no small part in maintaining our nation’s food security. … ” Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun.
Cleaning bay source pollution will enable more Delta diversions
Edward Ring, Senior Fellow at the California Water Policy Center, writes, “On February 21, the California State Water Resources Control Board waived environmental regulations in order to permit more storage in Central Valley reservoirs. This came a week after Governor Gavin Newsom temporarily suspended environmental laws that prevent reservoir storage if flow through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta falls below 58,000 acre feet per day. A guest opinion piece in the San Francisco Chronicle, published immediately after Newsom’s action, warned of dire consequences. “Newsom just declared war on San Francisco Bay” was its thundering headline, claiming Newsom is waging “a generic war against the realities of California’s hydrology that cannot be won.” According to environmentalists, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta’s “estuarine ecosystem is highly dependent on the amount of fresh water that flows into it from the watershed.” And while this is undoubtedly true, current environmentalist concerns ignore two important facts. … ” Read more from the California Policy Center.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
After last year’s lows, Klamath National Forest sees highest snow levels in years
“The USDA Forest Service says snowfall events and winter conditions in March led to an amount of snow that hasn’t been seen in years in the Klamath National Forest. According to officials, when snow did fall, it stayed in place and helped build up the local snowpack. The results are much welcome after the lows of last year. According to measurements taken for the April 1 survey, the snowpack is at 178% of the historic average snow height and 163% of the historic Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) across all survey points. … ” Read more from Channel 10.
Clear Lake reaches ‘full’ level; county Health Services issues health advisory due to flood waters
“For the first time in several years, Clear Lake is officially full. The lake hit the full mark, 7.56 feet Rumsey — the special measure for Clear Lake — on Tuesday. It hasn’t been full since May of 2019, which was a flood year. With more rain in the forecast this week, it’s anticipated Clear Lake could hit the monitor stage, which is 8 feet Rumsey, later this week. Flood stage is at 9 feet Rumsey, which it last reached in March of 2019. On March 15 of last year, Clear Lake was at 0.43 feet Rumsey. Going into the water year in late 2022, predictions had been for another low water year. … ” Read more from the Lake County News.
Notification of estimated spring restoration flow schedules on the Trinity River
“The Trinity Management Council’s recommended water releases from Lewiston Dam into the Trinity River are scheduled to begin increasing on Sunday, April 16. Each year, the Trinity Management Council advances a flow schedule based on the expected amount of water available to support salmon restoration efforts on the Trinity River. On March 31, the TMC recommended two restoration flow schedules to Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regional directors. Each recommendation is based on the California Department of Water Resources’ exceedance forecast for two potential water year types: Normal and Wet. Each flow schedule includes day-to-day flow variability, a key component of natural rivers. Restoration flows are important for increasing food and habitat for juvenile anadromous fish—fish that migrate to fresh water from salt water to spawn—like salmon and steelhead. … ” Read more from the Bureau of Reclamation.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Lake Tahoe’s clarity the best it’s been since 1980s
“For the last five months of 2022, Lake Tahoe was the clearest it has been since the 1980s. That is due in part to a resurgence of the lake’s native zooplankton. They’ve provided a natural clean-up crew to help restore the lake’s famous blue waters. The findings are reported in the “Lake Tahoe Clarity Report 2022,” released today from the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, or TERC, for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. Clarity is measured as the depth to which a 10-inch white disk, called a Secchi disk, remains visible when lowered into the water. In 2022, Lake Tahoe’s average annual clarity was 71.7 feet compared to 61 feet in 2021. The key finding from 2022 was the great improvement in lake clarity from August through December, when the average Secchi depth was 80.6 feet. This coincided with the highest numbers of the zooplankton Daphnia and Bosmina. … ” Read more from UC Davis.
SEE ALSO:
Lake Tahoe’s water is the clearest it’s been in 40 years. How plankton may have helped, from KCRA
Lake Tahoe’s clarity is the best it’s been in 40 years. This animal is helping, from the Sacramento Bee
‘Totally unprecedented’: Why Lake Tahoe’s water is clearer than it has been in 40 years, from the San Francisco Chronicle
Large Grass Valley sinkhole caused by leaking underground water main, police say
“Authorities are warning drivers about a large sinkhole that is opening up on a Grass Valley street. The hole is near the intersection of Sierra College Drive and Ridge Road, near the entrance to Morgan Ranch. Grass Valley police say it appears the hole was caused by a leaking underground water main.
Nevada Irrigation District crews will be making the repairs. Exactly how long those repairs will take has not been stated. … ” Read more from CBS Sacramento.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Shasta Dam gets $25M in federal funding for upgrades
“The Shasta Dam is one of several projects in California getting millions in federal funding. The nearly 80-year-old dam will get about $25 million in funding for its water infrastructure. Several people visiting the dam Monday said they are happy to see an investment in an important place in the community. “We live in such a beautiful area here in the north state to be able to enjoy the dam and Mt. Shasta and just the weather,” Redding resident Robert Bowman said. “We’re watching all the snow meltdown and the water levels climate is really important for us in the community.” … ” Read more from Action News Now.
Legal Brief: Oroville Dam review
“An appeals court in California upheld, for the third time, the trial court’s dismissal of counties’ 2008 challenge to federal relicensing of Oroville Dam, finding the government’s environmental impact review was sufficient.” Read the ruling here via Courthouse News. Read more coverage about the Oroville Dam here.
Solano County Water Agency directors expected to hire new general manager
“The Solano County Water Agency directors on Thursday are expected to remove the interim tag from Chris Lee’s title and make him the full-time general manager. Rio Vista Mayor Ron Kott, who sits as the chairman of the SCWA board, said Lee has the experience and familiarity with programs – noting particularly his work with groundwater sustainability. He said the board considered throwing a recruitment net outside the agency, but realized there were prime candidates internally. “Why bring in someone from outside when you have perfectly good candidates inside the agency?” Kott said. … ” Read more from the Daily Republic.
NAPA/SONOMA
Sonoma Water responds to letter questioning releases from Lake Sonoma
“A recent letter raised several questions regarding recent releases of water from Lake Sonoma. If you imagine the lake like a layer cake, the bottom layer is the water supply pool and the top layer is the flood control pool. Sonoma Water controls releases from Warm Springs Dam when levels are in the water supply pool, which tops out at 245,000 acre feet. The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) controls releases when water levels rise about the water supply pool and enter the flood control pool (which tops out at 381,000 acre feet). This year, thanks to minor deviation to flood control operations approved by USACE last December, we have some frosting between the layers, which allows extra storage for water supply at the discretion of USACE if forecasts indicate it is safe to retain the water. … ” Read more from The Patch.
Napa’s first zero-emission vineyard faces heavy opposition. Here’s why
“After a nine-year proposal process, Napa County has tentatively approved the development of what’s believed to be the region’s first zero-emission vineyard. But despite this unprecedented environmental commitment, the development is facing intense opposition from locals — and now faces a lengthy appeals process. Le Colline Vineyard in Angwin, set on narrow Cold Springs Road in Napa’s eastern hills, is the latest front in an increasingly contentious debate over the region’s future in the face of climate change. The wine industry, the driving force of Napa Valley’s economy, wants to continue to grow. But locals fear that further vineyard and winery development is a threat to wildlife, watersheds and surrounding communities. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
BAY AREA
Drought restrictions ending across Bay Area
“First came a dozen soaking atmospheric river storms. Then a huge Sierra Nevada snowpack, which on Monday was 248% of normal. Now comes drought relief. Water agencies across the Bay Area are moving to roll back mandatory drought rules and surcharges as reservoirs have filled this winter and drought conditions have washed away. For the average customer, the trend means that limits on the number of days a week that landscaping can be watered will be lifted in the coming weeks — if they haven’t been already — and financial penalties for using more than a limited amount of water will be removed. On Tuesday, the board of the Santa Clara Valley Water District, a public agency in San Jose that provides water to 2 million people, will vote on a plan to end the drought emergency it declared in June 2021 to drop rules restricting lawn watering to 2 days a week and to end its mandatory call for 15% water savings compared with 2019 levels. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
Officials release map of hazardous fallout from refinery mishap
“When a Bay Area oil refinery released up to 24 tons of metal-laden ash over the Thanksgiving holiday, the pollution showered onto a nearby junior high school and may have traveled up to a dozen miles into neighboring communities that weren’t notified until months later, according to a new air district analysis. Four months after the hazardous materials erupted from Martinez Refining Co.’s smokestacks, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District recently presented a map at a Martinez City Council meeting illustrating the extent of the fallout. The map is the first attempt by officials to identify how many homes, schools and other properties might need to have their soil tested by a consultant recently selected by the county’s oversight committee. Its publication comes amid mounting outrage from Martinez residents who have called for equipment upgrades and greater oversight at the refinery. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
For California native species, floods help revive ecosystems
“An unprecedented series of fierce atmospheric river storms has drenched California this year, flooding neighborhoods and burying mountain towns under record snowfalls. But for many native wildlife and plant species, the wet weather is a welcome relief after years of drought. While the storms have exacted a toll on some species and vegetation, biologists and botanists point out the overall effect of the record rains as a positive phenomenon that will revive parched ecosystems. “The native species in the Bay Area are kind of like, ‘It’s great to see some water again,’ ” said Sarah Jacobs, assistant curator of botany at the California Academy of Sciences. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
Hundreds of San Jose homeless being forced to make way for project
“San Jose Spotlight reports the nearly five million dollar contract with the city comes as the water agency prepares to build out mandated flood protection measures along a nine-mile stretch of the creek following the devastating 2017 floods. Between 120 to 200 homeless people living along the waterway will have to move before construction starts on June 5 for safety reasons, city officials said. The contract, approved unanimously by the San Jose City Council on Tuesday, will fund clearing people out, cleaning up blight and supportive services to help unhoused residents move into housing. … ” Read more from KALW.
CENTRAL COAST
After months of delay, Cal Am signs water purchase agreement for Pure Water Monterey expansion
“The expansion of the recycled water project Pure Monterey, which will provide an additional 2,250 acre-feet of water to the Monterey Peninsula, can finally move forward as Cal Am has signed an agreement to purchase its water. It was the last major hurdle in the expansion. Cal Am has refused for months to sign it because they asked the California Public Utilities Commission to allow the private utility to be reimbursed for past sunk costs in pursuit of a new water supply. (The CPUC ultimately agreed to let Cal Am recoup $10 million of the $21 million it sought.) Cal Am signed the agreement last Friday, March 31, and the two public agencies partnered on the project—Monterey One Water and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District—signed the agreement April 3 and April 4 respectively. … ” Read more from Monterey Weekly.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Bagging boils: the fight to shore up SJ River levees
“The peak water level has dropped over a foot down to 28.29 feet during the last 30 days on the San Joaquin River at the Airport Way bridge crossing. Flood concerns, though, have heightened. There are a number of spots where California Conservation Corps workers are sandbagging boils that keep popping up at various locations south of Manteca. In at least two spots between the Stanislaus River and the Mossdale Crossing crews are trucking in gravel, rock, and dirt to make emergency fixes to levees. … ” Read more from the Manteca Bulletin.
Dry Creek Reservoir northeast of Clovis captures a huge amount of storm water
“It’s been six years since Dry Creek Reservoir in northeast Clovis has collected so much storm water. The mission now is to make sure that water doesn’t go to waste. Dry Creek Reservoir has captured 9,000 acre feet of storm water during the rainy season. Now the plan is to send the water streaming through Clovis and Fresno. The reservoir gets little attention until there’s a wet winter. Most homeowners in northeast Clovis aren’t aware of the water level because they can’t see over the berm. … ” Read more from Fox 26.
Tulare County braces for impacts of a historic snowpack
“Tulare County residents are bracing for another round possible flooding as temperatures are expected to rise in the coming weeks, likely causing local waterways to overflow as lake’s rise. More than a dozen atmospheric rivers hit the Central Valley beginning in December. While causing widespread damage, the storms also created an unusually robust Sierra snowpack, which supplies about a third of California’s water. With snow levels at an all-time high, there is growing concern that when the snow melts it will cause flooding issues in San Joaquin and Tulare basins. “The real challenge as we move into spring and summer though is flooding — significant flooding — particularly in the Tulare Lake Basin,” said Karla Nemeth, director of the Department of Water Resources. … ” Read more from the Visalia Times-Delta.
USACE unveils Isabella Dam modifications in ribbon cutting
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Sacramento District held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, April 4, to celebrate the end of Phase 2 construction for the Isabella Dam Safety Modification Project. The safety modification project will reduce flood risk for the southern Central Valley of California and 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.” … ” Read more from Storm Water Solutions.
EASTERN SIERRA
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles is sitting on $1B for water storage
“As the West faces extended droughts and water shortages, Los Angeles officials thought they would get ahead of the curve by investing about $1 billion into water storage solutions. Now, four years later, the droughts are intensifying while that money sits unspent, according to the according to The New York Times.The Times reports that California used to have a state-of-the-art flood control system, with dams and channels to control flooding from heavy storms. However, more frequent and intense droughts are creating a greater demand for stored water, but the systems are not designed to hold back much water, meaning tens of billions of gallons are flowing back into the Pacific Ocean.To remedy this, LA County began collecting money to increase the storage capacity of their flood control systems. Over four years, it has collected around $1 billion, but has yet to spend most of it. … ” Read more from The Press.
State commission says Long Beach must revise oil production plan
“The State Lands Commission, which helps regulate and audit oil operations in the state, told Long Beach on Friday that its plan for future production needs to better account for things like health hazards to communities, sea level rise and the volatile oil market before the plan is accepted. How it will affect oil operations in the long term is unclear, but in the immediate future, oil production is expected to be unchanged by the commission’s vote, according to the city department that oversees oil production in Long Beach. Long Beach submitted its plans to the state in late March, just days before a regulatory deadline.The plan drew criticism from community activists who alleged the city was trying to approve new wells in areas of the city that could soon be barred from new oil production under a proposed state law. … ” Read more from the Long Beach Post.
Warning issued over high algae levels in Lake Perris
“State water managers issued a warning Monday for people and pets to stay out of Lake Perris in Riverside County due a hazardous algal bloom. Lake Perris, or Perris Reservoir, is a popular fishing, boating, and camping site between Moreno Valley and the City of Perris. California’s Department of Water Resources issued an advisory after tests showed elevated levels of blue-green algae or cyanobacteria. … ” Continue reading at KTLA 5.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
SAN DIEGO
Along the Colorado River …
Did this winter solve the Colorado River crisis? No – but it took some pressure off, for now
“Across the Southwest, the signs of a phenomenal winter are everywhere. Snow blankets the tops of the San Gabriel Mountains outside Los Angeles. And in downtown Phoenix, the Salt and Verde rivers are full. After three years of record-breaking drought and plummeting water levels at Lake Mead and Lake Powell, water officials and experts across the West are now looking at more snow and water than they can handle. While many are not ready to declare the crisis on the Colorado River solved, they feel the blockbuster winter means basin states should no longer have to cut up to 25% of the basin’s water usage that was called for last year by Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton, the river’s top federal official. … ” Read more from CNN.
SEE ALSO: Environment report: snowy winter cools contention on Colorado River, from the Voice of San Diego
In the midst of Arizona’s historic drought, a Saudi company is tapping into its groundwater
“Along with its arid neighbors, Arizona is 23 years into a megadrought. Some say it might be the worst drought since 800 A.D. Yet, despite that, a Saudi company has been pumping the groundwater out of Arizona soil for nine years, which it uses to grow crops to feed its cattle 8,000 miles away. That’s just one example Arizona’s glaringly nonrestrictive water management even in the face of unprecedented water shortage. The historic drought has brought Arizona’s unique laissez-faire water system to light. The state allows unregulated groundwater pumping in its rural areas, benefitting ordinary farmers in the short run, but also allowing out-of-state and foreign corporations to take advantage of the resource. As the drought worsens, ordinary Arizonans see the need for more regulation, and the new Democratic governor is trying to usher in new legislation before it’s too late. … ” Read more from Fast Company.
US turns to tribes to help Arizona survive Colorado River cuts
“As the Biden administration has pushed the seven states that rely on the shrinking Colorado River to cut their water consumption, much of the pain has fallen on Arizona. The state is the river’s second-largest water user, but of the seven states it has the most junior rights to the waterway. For the past year, farms and cities around Phoenix and Tucson have been bracing for the new restrictions that the administration is set to finalize this week. To soften the blow, federal officials and Arizona politicians are now turning to a pair of tribal nations that control more than a third of the water that the state gets from the Colorado River. Thanks to a set of laws and agreements hashed out over the past six months, the state and federal governments are paying the two tribes to reduce their water usage over the next few years, easing the pressure on the rest of the state. … ” Read more from The Grist.
Column: Central Arizona cities may soon have a new water source: Farmland west of Phoenix
Opinion columnist Joanna Allhands writes, “Developers create master plans for communities because it helps growth occur in an orderly fashion. But can we do the same to draw down an aquifer, minimizing problems like subsidence and fissures while pumping the most groundwater for those who buy it? We’re about to find out. Harquahala Valley Landowners LLC, which represents farmers and investors who own land in the area, has applied with Queen Creek and the state Land Department to pump up to 7.6 million acre-feet over 100 years from the Harquahala Irrigation Non-expansion Area west of Phoenix. … ” Read more from Arizona Central.
A year of Arizona’s wet weather made a big dent in drought conditions – but how much?
“During a snowpack survey on the Verde River Watershed this February, the Salt River Project (SRP) was thrilled at what it found. “Woo, that’s deep!” Four feet deep, to be exact. SRP sends crews to monitor winter snowpack a few times each year – driving or flying – to spots like Happy Jack. “Get on the snow shoes and go out to the designated areas and stick the federal sampler in the snow, take it out and weigh it, and we can get an idea of how much water equivalent to snowpack it is,” said Bo Svoma, Salt River Project Meteorologist. Or, how much water is in the snow, if it was all melted. … ” Read more from Channel 10.
Limits on home water use in Las Vegas may be coming as bill advances
“A bill that would give the Southern Nevada Water Authority the power to limit residential water use in Las Vegas during severe drought took its first step toward becoming law Monday. The Assembly Committee on Natural Resources voted to approve Assembly Bill 220, sending the wide-ranging omnibus water conservation bill out of committee. The bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Howard Watts, D-Las Vegas, would allow the water authority to cap residential water use at 0.5 acre-feet, or roughly 163,000 gallons, of water per year if the federal government has declared an official water shortage for the Colorado River, which supplies about 90 percent of Southern Nevada’s water. If approved, the legislation would make Nevada the first state to give a local water agency permanent say over how much water residents can use. … ” Read more from the Las Vegas Review Journal.
A Colorado reservoir gets ready for an epic snowmelt
“In southern Colorado, Beck is the superintendent of Pine River Irrigation District and Vallecito Reservoir, which catches water from the 13,000 and 14,000-foot-high peaks of the Weminuche Wilderness. It’s a place so wild and beautiful that Teddy Roosevelt protected it in 1905 by creating the 1.8-million-acre San Juan National Forest. The name Vallecito means “little valley” in Spanish, and the reservoir stores water for the town of Bayfield, population 2,838, as well as providing supplemental irrigation for 65,000 acres of Tribal and non-tribal land to the south. This winter, Beck has been faced with a near-record snowpack, now expected to turn into some 320,000 acre-feet of water. His 82-year-old reservoir, however, can only hold 125,000 acre-feet. What’s more, snow was still falling in early April. … ” Read more from the Sierra Nevada Ally.
In national water news today …
The journey of water, from resource to source of multiple values
“At the end of March, the United Nations held its first Conference on Water in nearly a half century. Its location—New York City—provided a compelling geography to learn from the past century of water management with its emphasis on valuing water as a fundamental resource for people and a corresponding focus on protecting and providing clean water. For good reason—in fact, about 2 billion good reasons—much of the dialogue at the Conference focused on how to ensure that everyone in the world has access to clean water and sanitation (about 2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water and 3.6 billion, nearly half the world’s population, don’t have access to safely managed sanitation). But the dialogue also revealed an emerging evolution in thought about what water is, what it provides, and how it should be managed. This evolution starts from the foundation of valuing water and expands toward valuing resilient systems. … “ Read more from Forbes Magazine.
Three ways to solve the plastics pollution crisis
“Two decades ago, Germany set up a simple scheme to reduce plastic waste. When people buy drinks in a disposable plastic bottle, they pay a small extra fee and get that back by depositing the used bottle at a return centre. Many other countries have similar incentives. But has the intervention actually cut Germany’s use of single-use plastics? There’s little evidence for that, says Antaya March, a researcher at the Global Plastics Policy Centre, which was set up in 2022 at the University of Portsmouth, UK, to conduct independent assessments of plastic-waste management around the world. The scheme did entice people to return their plastic bottles, thus reducing littering. But it was also followed by an unintended increase in single-use bottles, March says — perhaps because people felt reassured that it was fine to buy drinks in plastic bottles that would be recycled. Whether policies such as these help to cut down on plastic use is a crucial question, as the world grapples with growing concerns about the fate of plastics. … ” Read more from Nature.
