DAILY DIGEST, weekend edition: Thousands of acres are underwater, flood could triple in size this summer; Is fire retardant harming the environment; Klamath Project sees fourth year in a row of water supply cuts; How much water does ChatGPT ‘drink’?; and more …

In California water news this weekend …

Thousands of acres are underwater in California, and the flood could triple in size this summer

“Torrents and torrents of rain have drowned thousands of acres of farmland in California’s Central Valley this winter and resuscitated a lake that vanished decades ago. As far as the eye can see, water stretches to the horizon — across roads, across crop fields, through homes and buildings.  Now, the massive snowpack that piled up on the Sierra Nevada this winter is a dripping time bomb. As it melts, the flood could triple in size by summer, threatening the surrounding communities and costing billions in losses.  “All of the crops are completely flooded and ruined,” resident Martina Sealy said as she held her baby daughter and gazed out across white-capped water, where vast fields of cotton and alfalfa had grown all her life. “It takes a lot of jobs for people. That’s a lot of food that we provide for up and down California and all around the nation. It’s pretty scary.” Even scarier when you realize the standing water that’s there now is just the beginning of their ordeal. … ”  Read more from CNN.

An aerial fire retardant is widely used in Northern California. Is it harming the environment?

“The 2020 Walbridge Fire had finally stopped burning and Birkin Newell was visiting a property along Wine Creek, a tributary that feeds into Dry Creek — one of Sonoma County’s most important salmon spawning habitats.  Newell, who is restoration director for the Russian Riverkeeper conservation organization, said the owner of the property was concerned about fire retardant that had been dropped on the creek during the more than six-week battle against Walbridge.  In photographs he took on Oct. 8, 2020, six days after the fire had officially ended, you can see large and small faded pink spots completely covering a wooden deck, as well as soil, leaves and rocks along the creek. … The retardant, whose essential ingredient is ammonium phosphate — an inorganic compound used to enhance plant, yeast and bacteria growth — has become a symbol of defiance in the age of massive wildfires and climate change.  But some are raising concerns about the possible environmental fallout of fighting wildfires with what is essentially fertilizer. … ”  Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat (gift article).

Risk of flooding from snowmelt is amping up in Tahoe. Here’s what to know

“Much of California is in the midst of a warming trend this weekend as a ridge of high pressure builds over the center of the state. Weekend highs can be expected in the 60s by the coast and bays and 70s in the Central Valley. This warmth is looking to extend into the Sierra, particularly around Lake Tahoe.  A few Sierra summits above 7,000 feet are likely to reach daytime highs this weekend in the upper 40s and lower 50s, raising concerns about snowmelt. This means that creeks and rivers that flow out of the Sierra Nevada and into communities that surround Lake Tahoe could deal with spillover, leading to minor flooding in areas that are still recovering from winter’s storms. … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.

El Nino watch issued: Here’s how it could affect weather in the US

“The Pacific Ocean is getting warmer, and the rising water temperatures have spurred forecasters to issue the first El Niño watch in years. AccuWeather meteorologists say that the emerging phenomenon will play a pivotal role in dictating the weather patterns for North America and beyond through the upcoming winter.  El Niño is part of a regular climate cycle known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). It occurs when sea surface temperatures in the equatorial eastern Pacific rise to above-average levels for an extended period of time. Its cooler counterpart, La Niña, is declared when water temperatures in this zone of the Pacific Ocean are below historical averages for months at a time. When the water temperatures are right around the long-term averages, forecasters say the ENSO is neutral. … ”  Read more from AccuWeather.

Rep. Huffman, Sen. Padilla call on administration to declare salmon fishery disaster

“On April 11, Representative Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) and Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) led their colleagues in an urgent letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo calling for them to swiftly declare a federal fishery disaster, joining California Governor Gavin Newsom in his request, according to a press statement from Huffman’s Office.  “The closure of this vital fishery will have far-reaching consequences for commercial, recreational, and charter fishers, tribes, businesses, restaurants, and families who depend upon a healthy salmon fishery for subsistence. In response to the closure, on April 6, Governor Gavin Newsom submitted a request to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to declare a fishery disaster for the 2023 chinook salmon season. We appreciate the Governor’s support and humbly ask that your Administration move swiftly to declare a federal fishery disaster,” the members state in their letter. … ”  Read more from the Daily Kos.

Relax, the rich aren’t using all the water to fill their pools

“A recent story that went mainstream in media outlets puts the pool industry in a rather negative light. It discusses a study published in the journal Nature Sustainability that highlights what it considers the impact of the wealthy population’s excessive use of water in urban areas. While the study focused on Cape Town in South Africa, the authors suggest that their findings are relevant to other cities with high inequality, including those that have faced serious water shortages due to droughts and overconsumption in the past two decades. The article mentions cities like Miami, Mexico City, Sydney, London, and Beijing as examples. … While the article acknowledges that the study’s findings are relevant to other cities with high inequality, it does more to generate negativity about swimming pools than it speaks to direct instances of where this may be occurring in the United States. In general, outlets like the Washington Post picked up the story and ran their version with a byline “Rich people’s swimming pools are fueling water crises in cities”, which is not even remotely accurate. The story was also picked up by Time, NBC, and many other news sources. … ”  Read more from Pool Magazine.

California fears even worse fire season as ‘superblooms’ from historic wet winter become kindling

“Don’t let all the flooding fool you: The same rain and snow that have drenched California this winter and spring risk making the state’s next seasonal calamity — fire season — even worse.  An epic winter left parts of the Central Valley underwater, a problem that may persist for months as one of California’s largest mountain snowpacks on record melts. That elevated moisture is now fueling an explosion of plant growth unlike anything the state’s seen in years. Whole landscapes are blossoming into so-called “superblooms,” as flowering bushes starved by years of drought make the most of the bounty. Soon, that growth will dry out, transforming buds and blossoms into kindling.  “What we expect to see out of the rains is an increase in the amount of fuel there is to burn,” said Issac Sanchez, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire. … ”  Read more from Forbes.

Winter showers (and showers and showers) bring a bounty of wildflowers

“Torrential downpours this winter sent California residents fleeing from floods and mudslides. Blizzards dumped snow in the mountains, trapping locals in their homes for weeks. Hulking trees crashed into homes and severed power lines.  After such a disastrous start to the year, it may be a while before nature can fully recompense Californians for their struggles.  But the succession of atmospheric rivers did deliver relief from a prolonged drought. And it left behind other rewards that are only now emerging: The state is awash in color, from the Eastern Sierra to Malibu, from the deserts near San Diego to the meadows north of Sacramento. … ”  Read more from the New York Times.

And lastly …  How much water does ChatGPT ‘drink’ for every 20 questions it answers?

“It can be easy to forget about the environmental footprint of AI when you’re sitting at home using ChatGPT, where all you need to use it is the electricity that powers your computer and Internet equipment. Generative AI bots, however, are housed in data centers that have a much more significant carbon footprint.  Researchers at the University of California, Riverside and the University of Texas, Arlington recently crunched the numbers to figure out how much water a data center operating ChatGPT would consume. … ”  Find out at Government Technology (go ahead – it’s freely accessible!).

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In commentary this weekend …

Editorial: California lacks enforceable water rights system

The San Jose Mercury News and the East Bay Times editorial board writes, “California’s inability to prevent illegal and wasteful use of its water supply is more annoying than a leaky faucet. And far more costly.  When water is illegally diverted, it severely reduces the amount available to urban and agricultural users throughout the state. But the state Water Resources Control Board lacks the tools needed to enforce water rights and protect the limited supply.  The process for stopping illegal diversions can take weeks. And when the state does finally step in, the fines it levies are insufficient to act as a deterrent. It’s the equivalent of a police officer catching someone speeding and sending a letter to the speeder saying, if you don’t slow down in the next 20 days, we’ll hit you with a fine for the cost of a gallon of gas.  Two bills introduced into the Legislature would help solve the problem. … ”  Read more from the San Jose Mercury News (gift article).

Legislative bills pose new threat to water supply

John M. Derby, The Times Publisher, and Jonathan Whitaker, Managing Editor, write, “Years ago, when Tony Coelho was our Congressman, we asked him to name the No. 1 issue that was critical for California’s survival.  He did not hesitate, “WATER!”  Coelho was a Los Banos native who grew up working on his family’s dairy farm. He would become a powerful Democrat politician who understood that agriculture is, and has always been, the driving force which propels our state and local economies.  Today, it’s distressing to know that there are those in Sacramento who are taking tortuous action that endangers our very own prosperity.  For more than a decade, our community has been fighting to keep the State Water Resources Control Board in Sacramento from stealing half our water supply and sending it north to the Bay Delta.  And now — this year — several bills have been injected into the State Legislature because the authors believe they need to “modernize” the water rights system in California. In reality, these bills do nothing of the sort. … ”  Read more from the Merced County Times.

Before Western states suck the Colorado River dry, we have one last chance to act

Bruce Babbitt, the secretary of the Interior Department in the Clinton administration and a former governor of Arizona, writes, “The Interior Department last summer dropped a bomb on the seven states that depend upon the Colorado River for water. It declared an emergency over the two-decade drought that was parching the West and instructed these states, already scrambling to conserve water, to come up with a plan to cut consumption of as much a four million acre-feet, an amount equal to about one-third of the Colorado’s annual flow.  Then, after delivering this blow, the agency retreated to the sidelines. Instead of taking the lead, it urged the seven states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — to figure out how to make the cuts themselves.  Since then the states have engaged in futile discussions about how much water each must forgo. Tensions have been most acute among Arizona, California and Nevada, the three states that get their water primarily from large reservoirs instead of stream flow and therefore are the only ones who can be ordered to make reductions. Arizona and California, whose allotments are much larger than Nevada’s, should make the biggest cuts, but they have been sharply divided over how to carry them out. … ”  Read the full commentary at the New York Times (gift article).

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In regional water news this weekend …

NORTH COAST

Reclamation announces 2023 Klamath Project allocation, $13 million for drought resiliency, ecosystem enhancement

“The Bureau of Reclamation announced the 2023 water supply allocations for Klamath Project contractors at the Klamath Water Users Association annual meeting last evening. In addition, Reclamation announced $13 million for drought resiliency, ecosystem enhancement, and groundwater monitoring in the Klamath Basin.  Detailed in the 2023 Annual Operations Plan, the Klamath Project allocation includes 215,000 acre-feet available from Upper Klamath Lake, 35,000 acre-feet from Gerber Reservoir, and 35,000 acre-feet from Clear Lake Reservoir.  To support Klamath Basin communities amid a fourth consecutive year of drought, Reclamation is committing $13 million to support drought resiliency programs and ecosystem enhancement projects. Approximately, $9.85 million will be available through the Klamath Project Drought Response Agency for contractors who receive a reduced water allocation, with an additional $3 million in technical assistance to Tribal Nations for Klamath Basin ecosystem activities, as well as $150,000 for groundwater monitoring in the Basin. … ”  Read more from the Bureau of Reclamation.

Klamath Project sees fourth year in a row of water supply cuts

“For the fourth year in a row, the Klamath Project will be dealing with water cuts this summer– impacting farmers, ranchers and wildfire refuges alike.  On Thursday, during the Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) annual meeting, officials with the Bureau of Reclamation announced that the project will only be allocated 215,000 acre-feet available from Upper Klamath Lake, 35,000 acre-feet from Gerber Reservoir and 35,000 acre-feet from Clear Lake Reservoir.  This is much less than KWUA officials were anticipating.  “The typical irrigation demand for the Klamath Project is generally between 350,000 & 400,000 (acre-feet),” said Moss Driscoll with KWUA. “So a project supply of 215,000 acre-feet has a number of implications for the project in terms of getting through this year. ” … ”  Read more from KDRV.

SEE ALSO: Feds allocate more water for Klamath Basin agriculture this year, but farmers say it’s not enough, from Oregon Public Broadcasting.

SACRAMENTO VALLEY

Sacramento Valley drought conditions lifted in latest drought monitor, broader dry conditions remain

“The latest drought monitor released Thursday has removed the Sacramento Valley from all categories of drought. The news comes after months of rainfall filling local reservoirs, creeks, streams, and a significant snowpack in the mountains. With this move, the entire central valley and most of the California coast has been removed from drought. A moderate drought is still in place around Siskiyou County.  People we spoke to say they are happy the drought has disappeared from the area, but will still continue the water conservation habits they adopted the last couple of years. … ”  Read more from Action News Now.

Glenn County water deliveries continue as some drill deeper

“While the rain and snow storms of 2023 have brought some hope to the north state in terms of drought, there remains a way to go for many.  The water delivery program set up by the North Valley Community Foundation and the California Department of Water Resources continues on, helping those in Glenn and Tehama counties with water insecurity and dry wells.  Jody Samons, a Glenn County resident who had previously dealt with a dry well on her property, has worked directly with both the foundation and DWR to promote the program and search for long-term relief. Samons said there are still more than 200 on the program, though many have drilled a second well.  “Probably on average, one or two a month have drilled a new well,” Samons said. “But they are going much deeper than what the original wells were.” … ”  Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record.

Hamilton City’s new levee stands up to major storms of 2023

“In the past, residents of Hamilton City eyed the Sacramento River with uneasy wariness when facing a series of major rainstorms. Now, they can sleep a little more soundly, knowing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District has helped reduce the likeliness of flooding.  Located 90 minutes north of Sacramento, Hamilton City has always been prone to flooding due to its location along the Sacramento River and reliance on an undersized stretch of earthen barrier called the J Levee. For decades, this non-engineered levee was the town’s only protection from the mighty Sacramento River. … With this year’s relentless atmospheric rivers dropping record amounts of rain and snow, it’s likely Hamilton City would have faced a major catastrophe, but the worn out J Levee is gone, and a $93 million levee and restoration project now stands in its place. … ”  Read more from the Army Corps.

USACE awards construction contract for Folsom Dam modifications

“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District awarded a $114.4 million construction contract for the Folsom Dam Raise project to Folsom Dam Constructors (FDC), a joint venture of California Engineering Contractors, Inc. and Shimmick Construction Company.  Folsom Dam Constructors will be responsible for raising the main dam and left and right wing dams up to 3.5 feet and modifying the eight spillway gates by adding top seals, strengthening the gates, and raising the gate piers.  Together, these measures will allow greater control of releases from the dam during large flood events and increase the temporary storage capacity of Folsom Lake that can be used to mitigate flooding for the greater Sacramento area. This will reduce the flood risk for 500,000 residents and $58 billion of assets downstream. … ”  Read more from the Army Corps.

Climate change forces leaders to discuss the future water supply for the state’s capital

“Smelling samples of coffee to make sure they select the best beans for their customers is something Robert Watson says is a lot of fun, but also serious business.  “This is a weird one. Timor? Indonesian. Yeah, this is a weird one. I’ve never tasted coffee from here,” said Watson, owner of Camellia Coffee in downtown Sacramento.  The beans may give the distinct flavor, but as Watson will tell you, water is pivotal in creating the perfect cup — and it makes up most of a cup of coffee.  “It’s like almost 99%. It’s very, very, important,” he said.  For Camellia Coffee and every business in Sacramento, a healthy supply of water is a must.  Leaders around the Sacramento area are discussing a new agreement around water supply from the area’s major drinking water source, the American River, called the Water Forum Agreement 2.0. … ”  Read more from Spectrum 1.

BAY AREA

Marin, Sonoma counties get new weather radar to better predict flood-causing storms

“With a new El Niño watch announced Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Bay Area weather surveyors are calling all hands on deck in case next winter mimics the winter we just went through here in the North Bay.  County public works agencies are installing a new radar system with a technology the U.S. Navy has long coveted to help predict potential flooding when atmospheric rivers slam the Pacific Coast.  As part of the $30 million project funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, California’s Office of Emergency Services and state Department of Water Resources, one radar device was placed off Airport Boulevard near the Sonoma County wastewater treatment plant. Another is going in on Pine Flat Road near The Geysers by early 2024. The cost for the Sonoma County units is $700,000 each. … ”  Read more from the North Bay Business Journal.

Editorial: With due caution, MMWD is pushing toward water supply solutions

The Marin Independent Journal writes, “Only two years ago, as the Marin Municipal Water District scrambled to stave off running out of water, the issue of expanding its reservoirs was repeatedly raised by some of its ratepayers.  The district’s leadership, at that time, said that increasing the storage capacity of its seven reservoirs was impractical – too expensive and too environmentally disruptive – to be part of a resiliency plan in the face of current and future droughts.  But the district has new leadership on its board with the November election of three new directors and voters’ hope that change would lead MMWD to come up with a better plan to avoid the perilous dilemma it faced in 2020-21 when it was predicted the district could run out of water.  Back-to-back rain-soaked years bought the district relief and time. But the threat of more drought years is real. … ”  Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.

This huge, century-old tunnel holds the key to S.F.’s Hetch Hetchy water supply

“Nearly 100 years ago, men used hand tools and explosives to carve out a mammoth tunnel under the rolling green hills of Tuolumne County to shuttle water from the controversial new Hetch Hetchy Reservoir to the fast-growing San Francisco metropolis.  It was brutal work. A few died in the endeavor, and for two years during the 1917 to 1925 construction period, workers went on strike because of low wages and poor working conditions. “It was literally men with dynamite blowing the mountain apart,” said Katie Miller, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission director of water infrastructure capital programs. … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.

CENTRAL COAST

Lawmakers push for faster levee repairs

“A little more than a month after the Pajaro Levee broke and released waves of roiling river water that laid waste to homes, businesses and crops in Pajaro, a group of local, state and federal lawmakers gathered near the river in Monterey County to discuss what is being done to help ensure such a disaster does not happen again.  Tommy Williams, who manages the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (ACOE) San Francisco office, told a gaggle of reporters that temporary fixes are expected to begin in the coming summer.  But Williams also says that a $400 million upgrade to the levee system to provide 100-year flood protection could begin as early as summer 2024. … ”  Read more from Good Times Santa Cruz.

UC Santa Cruz professor says rising sea levels are a growing threat to coastal California

“Sea level rise is a growing problem for coastal communities across California, including the Central Coast. According to a UC Santa Cruz professor, the root of the problem is ocean warming and extreme weather events caused by climate change.  Dr. Gary Griggs is a professor of Earth Sciences at UC Santa Cruz specializing in oceanography and coastal geology. He said recent studies show sea levels in California could potentially rise 2 inches per year.  As temperatures rise, ice melts and water expands, the average height of the world’s oceans is increasing over time.  “So sea levels are rising because the planet is getting warmer,” Griggs said. … ”  Read more from KCBX.

Former golf course land in Carmel Valley gets significant boost for its rewilding

“When the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District Board of Directors unanimously approved the Rancho Cañada Floodplain Restoration Project earlier this month, they were essentially putting a portion of land straddling the Carmel River in Carmel Valley on track for its further return to nature.  “This is one of the biggest processed-based restoration projects in the state of California and will be the most significant restoration effort in the Park District’s history,” said Park District Planning and Conservation Division Manager Jake Smith. “The Park District just turned 50 years old last year. I think that this project is a sneak peek of the scale of projects that we want to deliver for the Monterey Peninsula in the next 50 years.” … ”  Read more from the Monterey Herald.

DWR to use helicopters to map groundwater resources across Central Coast

“The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) will be conducting airborne geophysical surveys over parts of the Central Coast this month.  People may see a helicopter towing a large hoop. It’ll be carrying Airborne Electromagnetic (AEM) technology that will be used to measure and map groundwater levels. It will fly about 200 feet above the ground. … ”  Read more from KSBY.

Santa Barbara: Local water reservoir sits at max capacity after the winter storms

“Throughout Santa Barbara, the images are pervasive. A floating mechanism that keeps debris from spilling over Gibraltar Road has taken damage. The roads leading up to the dam are now closed due to trees and landslides impeding road access.  All of this is a result from the winter storms from the last couple of months.  According to Geordie Armstrong, a weather and climate instructor at City College, Santa Barbara is not built to sustain the sea level rise that is expected in the next couple of decades, which will cause more flooding.  Armstrong also shared what could be in store for the town. … ”  Read more from The Channels.

Ojai Valley district to shake mandatory water cuts for the first time in 8 years

“For the first time in years, Ojai Valley residents won’t be required to curb their water use or risk fines.  Starting in June, the Casitas Municipal Water District plans to end its mandatory water conservation measures and stiff penalties — ones in place for the past eight years in the drought-stressed region. The Casitas board unanimously approved the move at a meeting this week.  After reaching historic lows in recent years, Lake Casitas rebounded over the past few months. The reservoir provides water to the Ojai Valley and parts of Ventura, and had reached 71% of capacity by Friday.  “Standing here a year ago, I never would have guessed. Nobody in the world would have guessed,” Casitas General Manager Mike Flood told board members Wednesday night. … ”  Read more from the Ventura County Star.

SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY

Conference aims for single vision for San Joaquin Valley

“Elected city and county officials from throughout the eight-county region will gather in Manteca to discuss common issues as part of a process aimed at forging a single vision for the San Joaquin Valley.  The April 24-26 San Joaquin Valley Regional Policy Conference at the Great Wolf Lodge will tackle issues like high-speed rail, air quality, ground water and economic growth.  The San Joaquin Valley includes: *The eight counties of San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Tulare, Kings and Kern. … ”  Read more from the Turlock Journal.

Will the biggest snowpack since 1895 flood Fresno this spring? Not likely.

“In the southern Sierra Nevada, the biggest snowpack in a century is starting to melt. Over the next six months, according to the state’s projections, 6.8-million acre feet of snow is going to melt in the mountains above Fresno, flow down hillsides and coalesce into the San Joaquin and Kings Rivers.  As these rivers swell with snowmelt, is Fresno going to flood? Are Fresno homes going to be flooded like in Tulare and Kings counties? According to Peter Sanchez, Fresno’s top floodwater operator, the answer is no. … ”  Read more from KVPR.

Water policy accountability theme of Friant Water Authority annual dinner

“While storage is obviously important, a recurring theme of the Friant Water Authority’s annual dinner on Thursday held at the Watermill Grove Ranch west of Visalia is more accountability is needed when it comes to how water policy is set.  FWA, which oversees the Friant-Kern Canal, held the annual dinner to update what has been going on with FWA, including an update on the ongoing Friant-Kern Canal repairs and a water supply outlook. Also featured as part of the dinner was a question and answer session with State Senator Melissa Hurtado and U.S. Congressman David Valadao.  As part of his presentation FWA chief executive officer Jason Phillips gave his “myths” which included “we just need more water storage.” … ”  Read more from the Porterville Recorder.

Runoff forecast: Success Lake could receive total of 570,000 acre feet

“While the forecast is still somewhat muddied, the state tried to provide a clearer picture on Tuesday when it comes to the potential snowpack runoff that could cause significant flooding in the coming months.  The State Department of Water Resources held a press briefing on Tuesday on the projected snowpack runoff and potential for flooding. While state officials stopped short of making specific projections they did say to brace potentially for significant flooding, especially locally in the San Joaquin Valley and the Tulare Basin.  The potential for more flooding in this area is demonstrated by the fact locally the Southern Sierra has a snowpack that’s more than three times than normal. On April 1 the snowpack in the Southern Sierra was 300 percent of normal. … ”  Read more from Porterville Recorder.

Kings County’s Island District residents voice flooding concerns, look for answers

“Residents of the Island District in northwest Kings County crowded the Island School cafeteria Wednesday night to voice flooding concerns in their rural community of farmers along the Kings River.  The county has estimated $1 billion in flood damage as melting snow overflows the Kings River and other waterways in the coming months.  “I understand the concern, the dynamics that all of you are thinking about and going through,” said David Merritt, general manager for Kings River Conservation District who has lived in the county for more than 30 years.  It is going to be a challenging year for the conservation district as officials try to mitigate the impacts of the melting snow. … ”  Read more from the Fresno Bee via AOL News.

EASTERN SIERRA

Indian Wells Valley Water District working with LADWP to use released water

““It’s like eight fire hydrants being wide open. So it’s a lot of water being put out,” said Indian Wells Valley Water District board member Chuck Griffin at the Water District’s regular board meeting on April 10.  Water District general manager Don Zdeba said that much like in 2017, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power needs to release excess water they’re receiving from the heavy precipitation this year. Zdeba said that the Water District is in talks with them and other agencies to have the water release in the Indian Wells Valley, and for it to be released in strategic locations to provide the most benefit. … ”  Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Castaic Lake water levels nears full capacity

“Castaic Lake water levels have risen to 96 percent of its total capacity, according to Maggie Macias, a spokesperson for the State Water Project.  “The lake levels are 1,509.83 (feet MSL) today,” said a Park official to a KHTS Reporter who visited the site. “We’re still slowly filling more water to the other side of the lake.” … ”  Read more from the Hometown Station.

LA City Council seeks to increase local water supply

“The Los Angeles City Council approved Friday a motion calling for a reduction of imported water and increasing its local water supply, as well as obtaining a report on any infrastructure and conservation projects in the early planning or development stages.  The motion, introduced by council members Katy Yaroslavsky and Paul Krekorian, also directs the Department of Water and Power, the city’s Bureau of Sanitation and the Metropolitan Water District to review current sources of potable water, the feasibility of achieving the city’s goals under current executive directives and Green New Deal policies, and contingency plans to support water import systems. … ”  Read more from My News LA.

New science updates shared on DDT contamination off the Malibu coast

“Back in 2021, a research vessel led by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography began gathering sonar images of the ocean floor for the first time near Catalina Island, hoping to map the locations of leaking underwater DDT waste barrels dumped on the ocean floor decades ago. The researchers hoped to document for the first time just how many old DDT containers were there, using two deep-sea robots to get the images.  “They were quickly overwhelmed,” the Los Angeles Times reported. “It was like trying to count stars in the Milky Way.” There were thousands of barrels of the dangerous insecticide — as many as half a million.  After the shock of the initial discovery, $5.6 million in research money was allocated by Congress with influence from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and numerous agencies, scientists, and environmental nonprofits joined together to study the extent of the contamination. … ”  Read more from the Malibu Times.

Orange County completes world’s largest wastewater recycling and purification system

“The State Water Resources Control Board joined the Orange County Water District and the Orange County Sanitation District today to mark completion of the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS), the world’s largest advanced wastewater purification system, for indirect potable reuse. The new system creates a local supply of high–quality drinking water large enough to meet the needs of 1 million residents in north and central Orange County.  “Now, more than ever, we need sustainable water solutions that enhance our resilience capacity in wet weather, to withstand our state’s cyclical droughts,” said Yana Garcia, California’s Secretary for Environmental Protection. “We cannot build those solutions without deep partnerships and innovation. Orange County’s completion of the world’s largest advanced wastewater purification system is a prime example of this. We’re excited that this project will help deliver high quality drinking water to as many as 1 million people, and we look forward to seeing more projects like this one across our state.” … ”  Read more from the State Water Resources Control Board.

SEE ALSO:  The world’s biggest water recycling facility gets bigger in OC, from the OC Register

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Along the Colorado River …

Farmers and Quechan Indian Tribe fallow fields as water cuts loom

“If you eat an artichoke, chances are it was grown in California.  And they’re one of the many veggies that farmer Steve Alameda grows at his Top Flavor Farms in Winterhaven, California, that’s in the Bard Water District.  “Those artichokes are edible right now,” Alameda said.  Being a farmer is more than a job, it’s his lifestyle.  But the future for California farmers like Alameda is unsettling, with the threat of water cuts on the dwindling Colorado River, threatening his farm’s survival. … ”  Read more from Spectrum 1.

The rules governing the Colorado River were made for a ‘previous world’ and the West is now confronting a 21st century nightmare as it runs dry

“The Colorado River is in dire straits, and as it becomes clear that the river does not have nearly as much water as it once did, states that have relied on it for over a century are fighting over what remains.  On Tuesday, government officials from the Department of the Interior released a draft analysis with ideas on how to slow the Colorado River’s depletion. … Seven states—Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, California, Nevada, and Arizona—count on the river for water. The government proposed three measures to halt the decline of the river’s water flow affecting the three so-called Lower Basin states—California, Nevada, and Arizona. Water supply for the four Upper Basin states would not be affected by any of the proposals. … ”  Read more from Fortune.

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