On the calendar today …
- LEG HEARING: Senate Committee on Environmental Quality beginning at 9am. Agenda and remote access links here.
- MEETING: State Water Resources Control Board beginning at 9:30am. The Board will hear an informational item on the consideration of the addition of tribal beneficial uses to the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. Click here for the full agenda and remote access instructions.
- WEBINAR: A Conversation with Jay Ziegler from 10am to 11am. Grab a cup and please join us for RWA’s virtual COFFEE & CONVERSATION with Jay Ziegler, Delta Watermaster and former policy director for the California Office of The Nature Conservancy. RWA Executive Director Jim Peifer will join Jay Ziegler in a virtual discussion about his unique perspectives and new role as Delta Watermaster, which administers water rights within the Sacramento/San Joaquin River Delta and Suisun Marsh. Mr. Ziegler also provides crucial guidance to the State Water Board and Delta Stewardship Council on related water rights, water quality and water operations involving the watershed. Click here to register.
- PUBLIC MEETING: State Water Board EJ listening session for Bay Delta Plan from 3pm to 7pm. State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board or Board) staff will hold a public listening session on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, to receive input from representatives of environmental justice organizations, economically disadvantaged communities (DACs); and black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) community members and individuals on the Board’s current efforts to update and implement the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary (Bay-Delta Plan), including consideration of possible Voluntary Agreements for those update and implementation efforts. During the listening session, responses will be provided to questions and comments received at a prior environmental justice focused Bay-Delta planning and implementation listening session held on March 27, 2023. Click here for the meeting notice.
- IN-PERSON PUBLIC MEETING: North Fork Feather Above Lake Almanor Fish Passage Feasibility Study from 5:30pm to 7:00pm. Join the Department of Water Resources (DWR) for an in-person informational meeting about the Feasibility Study Evaluating the Potential for Salmon Reintroduction to the North Fork Feather River Watershed Above Lake Almanor. The meeting will be held at the Almanor Recreation Center (101 Meadowbrook Loop, Chester CA, 96020). This meeting will include a short presentation outlining the study objectives and approach, current activities, and the study timeline followed by a question and answer session. DWR welcomes your ideas and input on the feasibility study as it moves through the planning process.
- MEETING: 30×30 Priority: Long Valley from 6pm to 6:45pm. The town of Mammoth Lakes lies on the edge of a truly remarkable ongoing geological event site known as the Long Valley. Join The Sierra Club Range of Light Group to learn about the highlights of Long Valley – A unique geology, a rich cultural past, a long history of ranching, geothermal development, now recreation, two imminent threats to the Long Valley’s unique habitat, and what we can do to preserve the Long Valley we all know and love. Click here for more information and to register.
In California water news today …
Two California lakes are making comebacks with different results
“Some of California’s biggest lakes are making dramatic comebacks as the state’s “big melt” of snowpack reshapes the landscape in historic — and perhaps unexpected — ways. Owens Lake, which dried up in the 1920s after its streams were diverted to quench the thirst of Los Angeles, has re-emerged. The new water on the dry lake bed threatens to damage infrastructure designed to keep down dust, a problem that emerged when the lake was drained decades ago. … Meanwhile, Mono Lake, beleaguered by three years of drought, is expected to rise by several feet, a welcome reprieve as the lake has struggled to reach target levels. The contrast between the two lakes, which are about 115 miles from one another, shows the complicated and differing impacts of the “big melt,” as meteorologists have nicknamed the process. … ” Read more from NBC News.
Lake Oroville spillway in active use as Lake Shasta nears capacity as well
“The Feather River is getting a fair amount of extra water flow these days as Lake Oroville has been releasing water over the last week. Oroville is California’s second-largest reservoir, with a capacity of over 3.5 million acre-feet of water, and also just about at capacity is the state’s largest reservoir, Lake Shasta, which has a capacity of 4.5 million acre-feet and is at 98%. … ” Read more from SFist.
SEE ALSO:
- Two of California’s largest reservoirs are near 100% capacity. Here’s where others stand, from the SF Chronicle
- California Reservoir Rebound, image from NASA’s Earth Observatory
Lake Oroville is 99% full with more snow to melt. Why water managers say the reservoir won’t overflow
“As of Tuesday, Lake Oroville is at 99% of capacity, with more than 3.5 million acre-feet of water being stored. According to the Department of Water Resources, Lake Oroville has not been this full at this point in the year since 2012. As more snow melts from the Sierra, more water is flowing into the lake than what is being released, meaning that the water level is continuing to slowly creep up. Water managers with the Department of Water Resources say that despite that continuing snowmelt, there is no reason to worry about Lake Oroville overflowing. … ” Read more from KCRA.
Tulare Lake: Return of the lost lake
“This winter’s 31 atmospheric rivers proved too much for the man-made system of dams and diversions designed to siphon off an ancient lake’s water for agriculture. On the heels of the worst drought in 1,200 years, Tulare Lake, at the southern end of California’s San Joaquin Valley, filled and filled again in the heavy rains and runoff from its lower watershed, inundating over 100,000 acres of farmland, cities, and homes in the drought-dry lake bed between Fresno and Bakersfield. As the Sierra snowpack melts over the next few months, the lake could spread, prompting water managers and locals to reconsider the future of this lake, long thought “dead.” What would it look like to let the lake recover? One thing is clear: the lake wants to be here.” Read the full story at Knee Deep Times.
SEE ALSO: California’s once-dead Tulare Lake may be at peak size. Here’s how big it is, from the San Francisco Chronicle
New CDFW policy recognizes ecological value of beavers in California
“The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has implemented a new policy recognizing the ecological benefits of beavers while mitigating conflict over damage to land and property (depredation). CDFW’s new policy builds upon its existing beaver management policies and lays the groundwork for projects that harness beavers’ natural ability to help protect biodiversity, restore habitat and build wildfire-resilient landscapes. This includes a process that enables beaver relocation as a restoration tool and a new non-lethal option. The policy also outlines a process to mitigate beaver depredation conflict, prioritizes the use of nonlethal deterrents whenever possible and ensures that lethal removal of depredation beavers is done in a humane manner. … ” Read more from CDFW.
Supreme Court water ruling gives clarity to farmers
“With puddles in their fields at risk of being counted as a wetland and regulated as “waters of the United States,” farmers for years have sought relief from what they say is government overreach into vast swaths of the nation’s land and water. They got their wish last month when the U.S. Supreme Court set limits on how the Environmental Protection Agency can regulate the nation’s wetlands and waterways. Though the high court reined in the scope of the 51-year-old Clean Water Act and resolved “a nagging question about the outer reaches” of that law, states retain authority to regulate waters within their own borders. That means what happens on the federal front does not affect what the State Water Resources Control Board can do in California, said Kari Fisher, senior counsel for the California Farm Bureau. The state water code, she noted, “already regulates more than what can be regulated under the Clean Water Act.” … ” Read more from Ag Alert.
Over 100 organizations urge California Governor to not weaken CEQA and other environmental laws
“Over 100 organizations send a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday, June 5 urging him not to weaken the landmark California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and other environmental laws. There have been many efforts in Sacramento over the years to weaken environmental and public health laws, particularly CEQA. These campaigns are driven by developers, oil companies and other special interests who are trying to avoid environmental regulation altogether. According to environmental advocates, the governor’s current proposals “pose a major threat to public health, wildlife and habitat, and the climate because they significantly impede the manner in which CEQA is enforced, eliminate the fully protected species laws, and change existing laws for the benefit of highly controversial and environmentally destructive projects such as the Delta Tunnel.” … ” Read more from Dan Bacher at the Daily Kos.
Knowledge coproduction: Working together to solve a complex conservation problem
“A new publication from a team of scientists at USGS, Point Blue Conservation Science, and Conservation Biology Institute shows how knowledge coproduction – the collaborative creation of actionable information by scientists, resource managers, and policy makers – can help identify viable conservation options for a dynamic ecosystem with a complex web of stressors. The wetland habitats of California’s Central Valley support millions of migratory birds each year and are an important part of the Pacific Flyway, a bird migration route that spans from South America to the Arctic Circle. There are less than 10% of historical wetlands remaining. … ” Read more from EurekAlert.
Today’s featured article …
SCIENCE SPOTLIGHT: Yolo Bypass floodplains and fish food
The Yolo Bypass was originally designed as a flood control measure to protect the city of Sacramento. It is also widely viewed as an environmental and water management success story, as it has been demonstrated to achieve multiple benefits, including benefits to agriculture, flood control, and the environment that derive from reestablishing the connectivity of a major river to its floodplain.
Previous reports have highlighted studies that document some of the environmental benefits. In a study referred to as the Nigiri project because of its benefits for both rice and fish, researchers funded by the Delta Stewardship Council, Department of Water Resources, and others demonstrated that managed inundation of the Yolo and Sutter bypasses at times not necessarily needed for flood control resulted in the generation of large amounts of fish food, zooplankton and higher growth rates and larger sizes of juvenile Chinook salmon that were using the floodplain for foraging and shelter.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
New fishing regulations proposed for Klamath River following dam removal
“The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is considering modifying current fishing regulations along the Klamath River in 2024. ODFW says this is due to the removal of JC Boyle dam in 2024. A public meeting is scheduled for June 8, 6 p.m. at the Klamath County Fairgrounds Linman Hall. ODFW will give a short presentation of the proposed changes and will allow a chance for the public to ask questions and offer comments. ODFW says the changes will help accommodate salmon, steelhead, and Pacific lamprey that will soon have access to the upper Klamath Basin for the first time in over 100 years. … ” Read more from KOBI 5.
Dam removal project to help restore Klamath River, rest of basin
“While the largest dam removal project in history aims to restore the Klamath River, experts say it will also have a positive impact on the rest of the Klamath Basin. “Dam removal down low will certainly have the biggest beneficial impact on the receiving waters downstream… to the Pacific Ocean,” said Dave Coffman with Resource Environmental Solutions (RES). Aside from downstream benefits, Coffman said there will also be positive changes made upstream. Preliminary construction work has begun as the Klamath River Renewal Corporation prepares to remove a total of four dams. “We know the dams that are being removed result in warmer water than what would naturally be in that river system…” he said. … ” Read more from Channel 12.
New Aquaculturist brings knowledge, passion to the Klamath Tribes’ c’waam and koptu fish-rearing facility
“The Klamath Tribes Ambodat c’waam and koptu fish rearing facility in Chiloquin has a new staff member. Carlie Sharpe, an aquaculturist, has been on the job for a couple of months, arriving from Hagerman, Idaho, where she was working at a fish hatchery raising redband trout. Sharpes received a master’s degree from the University of Idaho in 2022, and conducted her master’s research at the Hagerman Fish Culture Experiment Station studying redband with a focus on water temperature and its impact on the fish. She was also hired as a contractor for Biomark researching fish physiology. … ” Read more from the Herald & News.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Is Lake Tahoe getting clearer? Students from the Hitchcock Project dive deeper
“On the heels of a winter of record-breaking snowpack in the Tahoe Basin, many are wondering how the spring snowmelt will affect water clarity in Lake Tahoe. For over 50 years, researchers have been monitoring and tracking water clarity at different spots in the lake on an almost weekly basis. In April, students and faculty from the Reynolds School’s Hitchcock Project for Visualizing Science spent a day on the lake capturing the process of water clarity testing, led by researchers from the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (UC Davis TERC). In partnership with the Tahoe Science Advisory Council, the Hitchcock Project produced an ArcGIS StoryMap entitled “Understanding Lake Tahoe Water Clarity,” giving an in-depth look at Lake Tahoe water clarity, the scientific process, and how this information can be used in the fight against climate change. … ” Read more from Nevada Today.
Nevada Irrigation District secures grant to fund fire fuel project near Jackson Meadows
“The Nevada Irrigation District (NID) has received $1,274,000 in funding from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) to reduce fire fuels and improve forest health near Jackson Meadows Reservoir. The grant will go to implement the Upper Yuba Headwaters Forest Restoration Project, which will remove understory fire fuels, hazard trees, and overly dense small trees on about 400 acres of District property. This will reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire by improving forest resilience and watershed health. “Jackson Meadows is a critical headwaters area. This grant will provide important assistance so that NID can continue its work to protect our region’s source watersheds. Healthy watersheds are vital; they supply water reliability for our community and our ecosystems,” said Neysa King, NID’s environmental resources administrator. … ” Read more from Yuba Net.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Conservationists help drought stricken California wildlife area store more water
“State and nonprofit organizations are helping the Shasta Valley Wildlife Area stabilize its water supply for the animals that count on it for their livelihood. Wetlands conservation and pro-hunting organization Ducks Unlimited and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are working to help the wildlife area store its water supply for longer periods. That’s after the water supply became “increasingly unreliable” in recent years during California’s drought, Ducks Unlimited announced on May 18. Currently, Ducks Unlimited is working “to replace the water-control structure that releases water from Bass Lake into seasonally-managed wetlands in the area,” the nonprofit’s spokesman Ryan Sabalow said in the announcement. … ” Read more from the Redding Record-Searchlight.
Thunderstorms knock out power, bring rain and blow strong winds on Northern California
“Thunderstorms will continue to rain on the North State this week, pushing strong winds and lightning our way and keeping temperatures cool, according to meteorologists. The strong storm that rolled over Redding and surrounding parts of Shasta County on Monday evening was likely the first of two strong evening thunderstorms. The second is expected Tuesday and more storms are coming later this week, according to the National Weather Service. On Monday, thunder was strong enough to trigger car alarms in Redding. … ” Read more from the Redding Record Searchlight.
NAPA/SONOMA
New Sonoma Water relief program cuts sanitation rates in half for low-income residents
“A new relief program approved May 23 by the Sonoma County Water Agency will reduce sanitation rates by 50% of the total annual sewer service charge for qualified residential property owners. Sonoma Water’s Sanitation Rate Relief Program will allocate up to $1 million for low-income property owners in the eight sanitation districts and zones managed by Sonoma Water, including the city of Sonoma and Valley of the Moon Water District. According to Chris Coursey, chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and of the Sonoma Water board, the program aims to help ease the financial strain on local residents by providing a significant discount on sewer service charges. … ” Read more from the Sonoma Index Tribune.
BAY AREA
PFAS treatment in sight for Zone 7
“New treatment vessels designed to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or forever chemicals, have arrived at the Zone 7 Water Agency’s Stoneridge site at 3750 Stoneridge Drive in Pleasanton. The new equipment will help bring the site’s contaminated wells back into service as early as September, according to Zone 7 Assistant General Manager Heath McMahon. The treatment system, which uses ion-exchange resins to pull PFAS molecules out of the water, will reduce PFAS concentrations to the point that tests cannot detect them, said McMahon. “For what we’re testing at this level, if the complete water supply that you’re treating goes through the train, it brings (the PFAS levels) all the way down to non-detect,” he continued. … ” Read more from the Livermore Independent.
Shadow Cliffs Lake refilled
“Swimming and boating will return to the Shadow Cliffs Recreation Area this month, thanks to the abundant rain and snow last winter that has allowed the State Water Project (SWP) to deliver more than 100% of requested water supplies. The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD), with assistance from the Zone 7 Water Agency, has used the state’s bonus water to refill the 80-acre Shadow Cliffs Lake. It completed its refill project a day early on May 30, after running two pumps for about four weeks, transferring some 230 million gallons of water from the Arroyo Valle into the lake, according to EBRPD unit manager David Vance. … ” Read more from the Livermore Independent.
Water bills will spike for 140,000 San Jose residents starting July 1
“Water bills will be rising for nearly a tenth of San Jose’s residents starting July 1 after San Jose councilmembers approved the rate hike on Tuesday — one of the largest increases in the region this year. Customers under the city-run San Jose Municipal Water System (SJMWS) will see a 14% rise in their bills — about $16 extra per month. SJMWS serves roughly 140,000 residents in North San Jose, Alviso, Evergreen, Edenvale and Coyote Valley. Officials blame the rising costs on increased prices from third-party water providers, supply and usage issues related to drought conditions and future infrastructure projects. In total, SJMWS expects to receive $8.9 million from the increase. Councilmembers voted 9-2 for the price increase, with Councilmembers Domingo Candelas and Bien Doan voting against it. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
CENTRAL COAST
Construction on Pajaro Valley water supply project starts Friday
“A multi-million-dollar project to protect Pajaro Valley groundwater from seawater intrusion will break ground Friday after decades of discussion and planning. When complete, the College Lake Water Supply Project will consist of a new pump station, a water treatment plant and a 6-mile, 30-inch pipeline. It will deliver water from a seasonal lake northeast of Watsonville to 5,500 acres of coastal farmland in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. “The College Lake Project is essential for us to reach sustainability in the Pajaro Valley,” said Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency spokesperson Marcus Mendiola. “We need to diversify further from being so groundwater dependent in Pajaro Valley.” … ” Read more from SF Gate.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Floating artwork seen in Ballona Creek
“An unusual work of art was seen floating in the Ballona Creek in Del Rey. Some thought it looked like a homeless encampment… but artist Sterling Wells, who was seen on the raft, says his project is a bit of an experiment. “I chose this location because of the combination of the natural ecology, like the trash and human,” Wells told FOX 11. He spent the last month building it and plans to move it once completed. He expects it’ll take another month to finish. … ” Read more from Fox 11.
50,000 gallon sewage spill prompts temporary closure of all coastal swimming areas in Long Beach
“Long Beach has temporarily closed all open coastal swimming areas, the city announced on Tuesday, June 6, after about 50,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the Alhambra Wash — which flows into the Los Angeles River, and subsequently, the ocean along the city’s coastline. City Health Officer Dr. Anissa Davis ordered the beach closures on Tuesday night as required by state law and in an abundance of caution to ensure the water quality still meets state regulations. … ” Read more from the Long Beach Press-Telegram.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
One of California’s poorest counties could be key to future of clean energy
“Sonia Herbert of Bombay Beach wants people to know that California’s Salton Sea isn’t all dystopian sunbaked abandoned homes, poverty, ominous toxic dust and decaying nostalgia. It’s also a place where people live and find beauty around the mirage-like lake in the desert. “There’s an energy here that people feel,” Herbert said. Over millions of years, the changing course of the Colorado River has cyclically flowed into a large basin in Imperial County and parts of Riverside County and Baja California, creating a large inland sea called Lake Cahuilla that supported the Cahuilla, Kumeyaay and Cocopah indigenous communities. When the river changed course, the lake would evaporate, and the cycle continued. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
SAN DIEGO
Fallbrook, Rainbow water ‘divorce’ decision delayed until August
“A local government body on Monday delayed the decision on whether two North County water districts can leave the San Diego County Water Authority to buy cheaper water elsewhere. Fallbrook Public Utility District and Rainbow Municipal Water District want a divorce from the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) because they say the water rate is too high. They want to move to the Eastern Municipal Water District in Riverside for its cheaper water. It’s a process called detachment. The decision on whether Fallbrook and Rainbow can leave the 24-member agency rests on the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), the government body that decides boundary disputes between public agencies. … ” Read more from KPBS.
Along the Colorado River …
The Grand Canyon, a cathedral to time, is losing its river
“Down beneath the tourist lodges and shops selling keychains and incense, past windswept arroyos and brown valleys speckled with agave, juniper and sagebrush, the rocks of the Grand Canyon seem untethered from time. The oldest ones date back 1.8 billion years, not just eons before humans laid eyes on them, but eons before evolution endowed any organism on this planet with eyes. Spend long enough in the canyon, and you might start feeling a little unmoored from time yourself. … ” Nice article with beautiful pictures. Read more from the New York Times (gift article).
Water official says Colorado River agreement still has long way to go to become reality
“An agreement proposed by officials in California, Arizona and Nevada — the three so-called lower-basin states among the seven Colorado River users — may be historic in nature, but it still faces a long road toward ratification, according to a San Juan County water official. The Lower Basin Plan submitted May 22 by representatives of California, Arizona and Nevada to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation — the agency that oversees the river and its reservoirs — marks the first time those states voluntarily have agreed to reduce their water use. Aaron Chavez, the executive director of the San Juan Water Commission and the president of the Colorado River Water Users Association, said that fact alone makes the proposal historic. … “It’s a step forward,” Chavez said while noting there is no guarantee that Bureau of Reclamation officials or representatives of the upper-basin states won’t find fault with it. … ” Read more from the Farmington Daily Times.
Deadpool Diaries: Paying to fallow may not save as much water as we think
“Given that we’re about to spend a billion dollars to fallow land to reduce water use in the Colorado River Basin, it’s reasonable to ask how we can be sure we know how much water is actually being saved. The answer, according to new work by Katharine Wright and colleagues at Arizona State University, may be “not as much as we think.” Wright and her colleagues looked at the oldest and most well-understood rotational fallowing program in the west – the Metropolitan Water District-Palo Verde Irrigation District deal set up two decades ago to fallow land in PVID and use the water to shore up Met’s Colorado River Aqueduct supplies. Their key finding: over the time period studied, actual savings were far smaller than MWD’s estimates. … ” Read more from the Inkstain blog.
Las Vegas needs to save water. It won’t find it in lawns.
“As millions of newcomers have flocked to the Las Vegas Valley over the past 50 years, every level of government in the nation’s driest state has worked to ensure that water shortages don’t stop the growth. Since 1999, southern Nevada has ripped out thousands of acres of turf from lawns, sports fields and roadway medians under the West’s most ambitious grass-removal program. … Now, the valley is again looking to grass removal to continue growing without increasing its overall water use. In 2021, the Nevada Legislature passed a first-of-its-kind law mandating the elimination of “nonfunctional turf,” defined as grass that is decorative and rarely used. The Southern Nevada Water Authority promised this would do away with 3,900 acres of grass (roughly 3,000 football fields) within six years. … But by analyzing the water authority’s own aerial imagery, ProPublica found that the agency grossly overestimated how much of that grass could be removed: That number could actually be as low as 1,100 acres. … ” Read more from Pro Publica.
How will new groundwater rules impact housing development in the Phoenix area?
“Arizona’s housing market has been booming in recent years. But now, due to projected groundwater shortfalls, the state is going to start limiting some housing development in areas that rely solely on groundwater. What will that mean for growth in the Valley? “I think it’s going to be perceived in a sensational way, which is unfortunate,” said Mark Stapp, a longtime Arizona developer and director of the real estate development program at ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business. “You get people who are making investment decisions who read these kinds of things without all of the facts and they’re going to make decisions based upon that risk.” Stapp said the governor’s announcement should not be taken as a signal that development is going to stop in the Phoenix area, but he does expect it will mean some changes for the industry. … ” Read more from KJZZ.
In national water news today …
Flash droughts are getting flashier
“In the summer of 2012, a severe drought unexpectedly struck the central United States. The event began in May and rapidly intensified until it peaked in mid-July, when precipitation hit record lows throughout the Midwest, affecting approximately 80% of U.S. agricultural land and causing $34.5 billion in losses. Flash droughts such as this are developing more quickly and happening more frequently because of climate change, according to a recent study published in Science. Unlike slow droughts, which develop over years, flash droughts arise in a matter of weeks and can last 30–45 days (or even years). Because these events are abrupt and relatively localized, they are more difficult to forecast. “People have less time to prepare for them,” wrote Xing Yuan, a hydroclimatologist at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology in Jiangsu, China, and lead author of the study, in an email. … ” Read more from EOS.
Sea levels are rising. Streets flood on sunny days. How can we prepare for a more watery world?
“At this point, flooding is our country’s most frequent and most expensive disaster. In April 2023 alone, floods happened across the country — including in the land-locked states of Minnesota, Kansas, Utah, Tennessee and Colorado. It doesn’t matter if you live in one of these states or on a coast: Everyone in the United States can be affected by water. Flash flooding can occur in any city, at any time, because these floods are caused by heavy storms and a surplus of stormwater. The rushing water can knock people down, carry away cars, tear out trees and destroy buildings. “How many times have we heard people say, ‘I’ve been in this house forever. It’s never flooded’?” says John Lopez, a coastal scientist and lifelong Louisianan. … ” Read more from KCUR.
