On the calendar today …
- LEG HEARING: Senate Committee on Environmental Quality beginning at 9am. Click here for the agenda and remote access instructions.
- MEETING: California Water Commission beginning at 9:30am. Agenda items include the final award hearing for the Harvest Water Program; an update on the Willow Springs Water Bank Conjunctive Use Project, a briefing on SWP’s path to renewable energy, an update on groundwater trading and SGMA implementation, and a groundwater practitioner update on groundwater trading. Click here for the agenda and remote access instructions.
- MEETING: State Water Resources Control Board beginning at 9:30am. Agenda items include Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) Potential Probationary Hearings Process Update, Consideration of Draft Order responding to Petitions for Reconsideration of the Executive Director’s May 6, 2022 Approval of the 2022 Sacramento River Temperature Management Plan, Delta Watermaster update, and the quarterly Delta Lead Scientist report. Click here for the agenda and remote access instructions.
- WEBINAR: Protecting Drinking Water Sources through Collaborative Planning and Management from 10am to 11am. Source water protection (SWP) is often referenced as the front-line barrier in the multiple barrier approach to protect drinking water. Spatial variabilities associated with geography, history, ecosystem dynamic, land use, and policy make SWP a highly site-specific process that reflects the inherent diversity of natural waters and the areas from which they are derived. Water utilities spend millions of dollars each year on SWP with the goal to maintain a reliable and quality water supply. Because water systems do not generally own the land from which their source waters originate, nor do they have control over the water bodies from which they withdraw their source waters, SWP specialists know that they cannot get the job done alone. Therefore, they engage other partners and looking for collaborative opportunities to find viable solutions. The webinar will identify some of these collaborative opportunities to tackle a range of SWP challenges. Click here for more information and to register.
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WEBINAR: What’s happening with 30×30 California? Checking in on the Movement to Protect and Restore Nature Across California from 12pm to 1pm. California is leading the global movement to protect 30% of land and coastal waters by 2030, a commitment now embraced by 190 countries around the world. State leaders have allocated historic funding that local groups across California are now turning into transformational conservation projects. A just-released progress report shows California added nearly 1,000 square-miles of conserved land in just one year, making strong progress toward the 2030 goal. Join us to learn where we’ve made progress in recent months to protect California’s globally unique biodiversity, expand outdoor access, and a build partnerships with California Native American Tribes. We’ll also talk about the work ahead of us and what more is needed to meet this ambitious goal. Click here to register.
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GRA SF BAY BRANCH: Oakland’s water from 6pm to 8pm in Oakland. Join geologist and author Andrew Alden for a talk about the geological and human history of Oakland’s water and his new book “Deep Oakland: How Geology Formed a City.” He will discuss the local groundwater and surface water, starting from prehistory and braiding together its geological and political aspects. He will then discuss what the picture might be seven generations from today and why that matters now. Click here to register.
Today’s featured articles …
CAL MATTERS: California lawmakers wage Delta water war with Newsom
by Rachel Becker, CalMatters Network
Amping up their concerns as a deadline looms, key California legislators today escalated their pushback on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s efforts to streamline the Delta water tunnel and other infrastructure projects.
The stalemate could become a critical lever while lawmakers haggle with Newsom over the 2023-2024 budget leading up to his June 27 deadline for approving the spending plan.
A bipartisan group of 10 lawmakers from the Assembly and the Senate signed on to a letter today urging Newsom and legislative leaders to stall Newsom’s package of infrastructure bills “for as long as the Delta Conveyance Project remains a part of the proposal.”
The legislators said Newsom’s proposals — which would overhaul permitting and litigation for expansive projects like the controversial tunnel plan to replumb the Delta and send more water south — could cause environmental harm. … “
Read more from Cal Matters @ Maven’s Notebook.
GUEST COMMENTARY: California Needs a Plan for Water Sustainability — Newsom’s Budget Trailer Bills Aren’t It
Guest commentary by Jonathan Rosenfield, PhD, SF Baykeeper Science Director; and Eric Buescher, SF Baykeeper Managing Attorney
This year, as California’s extreme drought gives way to floods, the need for a science-based plan for sustainable water management has never been more clear. Such a plan would align human demands and environmental needs with the supply of water that nature provides each year. Call it balancing our water budget.
Instead, Governor Newsom has released a torrent of executive orders and budget trailer bills that would move California away from a sustainable water future. Cumulatively, the Governor’s proposals encourage excessive extraction of water from the state’s overtapped rivers and aquifers to the further detriment of the environment and public health. California’s state senate initially pumped the brakes on the governor’s bills, but they’re not dead and have resurfaced at the center of last minute negotiations over the state’s budget.
Newsom’s proposals perpetuate the state’s broken approach to water management in order to appease corporate agriculture and powerful urban water brokers. The consequences for San Francisco Bay, its tributary rivers, and the people already suffering from the inequities in the system will be disastrous.
Click here to read this article @ Maven’s Notebook.
COMMENTARY: Delta tunnel is too risky to bend environmental rules
Contra Costa County Supervisor Ken Carlson and Yolo County Supervisor Oscar Villegas write, “Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plans to ease environmental rules and bypass the legislative process to get statewide infrastructure projects fast-tracked would pave the way for California ratepayers to fund a multi-billion-dollar environmentally disastrous and divisive Delta tunnel. The Delta Counties Coalition (DCC), representing the five counties that comprise millions of residents who live in and around the California Delta, strongly oppose the administration’s inclusion of the Delta Conveyance Project (Delta tunnel) in its infrastructure package and hastily considering it in the opaque state budget process.
Dating back to 2009, the Legislature and administration have consistently avoided legislative provisions that facilitate highly controversial and expensive isolated new conveyance in the Delta. This was done with purpose. Changing laws for the explicit benefit of this highly controversial project would pick “winners and losers” between those living within and near the Delta (the losers) and those who seek to export more water (the winners) through new diversions in the north Delta. … “
Click here to read more from the San Jose Mercury News (gift article).
More on Newsom’s infrastructure proposal
Related documents and links:
SEE ALSO: Big proposals by Gov. Newsom, big pushback, newsletter from Cal Matters
AG ALERT: Coalition opposes bills to overhaul water rights rules
From Christine Souza, Ag Alert
As California experiences wild swings in climate from drought to floods, critics of the state’s water rights system seek to overhaul rules that date back to California’s founding in 1850.
Three water rights bills are pending in the California Legislature that would expand the authority of the California State Water Resources Control Board. The bills are opposed by a large coalition that includes dozens of farm groups, water agencies and business groups.
Kristopher Anderson, legislative advocate for the Association of California Water Agencies, said the bills “collectively and individually present a foundational change in the way California’s water rights system is implemented, managed and enforced.”
In other California water news today …
A new study helps scientists understand how the Sierra Nevada snowpack affects fluctuations in ground levels on the San Joaquin Valley floor
“Scientists have figured out how to more accurately understand ground fluctuations in the San Joaquin Valley. It’s hoped the research will eventually become a tool valley water managers can use to predict the effects of groundwater pumping. Up until now, researchers have used satellite technology to collect data on changing ground levels, which can tell them about the conditions of groundwater levels. But there was a complication. Groundwater pumping wasn’t the only reason the ground was shifting. The sheer mass of snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains during winter months also caused changes in the ground on the valley floor. Scientists at Stanford University have come up with a way to separate the two types of deformation in a new study. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Before-and-after aerial images show California reservoirs’ dramatic rebound after years of drought
“California’s two biggest reservoirs are all but full after reaching perilously low levels late last year. Lake Shasta, at 96% full, and Lake Oroville, at 100%, had fallen to around 25% to 30% of their capacity before the state’s historically wet winter rejuvenated them. Statewide, reservoirs are at 85% of total capacity, well above their 30-year average of 73% for the month of June. With the Sierra Nevada snowpack still above three times its normal level for mid-June, they are expected to fill up even more as the snow melts. The before-and-after images below from NASA show Lake Shasta on Nov. 18, 2022, when the lake stood at just 31% of capacity, and again on May 29, 2023, when it was 98% full. … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read similar story at SF Gate.
SEE ALSO: Lake Oroville hovering near max capacity as DWR continues releases, from KRCR
Assembly Committee OKs Sen. Dodd’s water shutoff protection bill
“Legislation advanced today from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, that would expand provisions of his Water Shutoff Protection Act, ensuring more low-income Californians have uninterrupted access to essential drinking water, especially in times of skyrocketing costs. “Today’s vote is a step toward ensuring the tap does not get turned off just because someone falls behind on their bills,” Sen. Dodd said. “Access to water is a fundamental right. This bill enhances my previous legislation by covering people in smaller, rural communities who are struggling financially. It will allow them to continue using water for drinking, cooking and necessities such as washing clothes while they get caught up on missed payments.” … ” Read more from Senator Dodd’s office.
El Niño may break a record and reshape weather around the globe
“Seven years ago an exceptionally strong El Niño took hold in the Pacific Ocean, triggering a cascade of damaging changes to the world’s weather. Indonesia was plunged into a deep drought that fueled exceptional wildfires, while heavy rains inundated villages and farmers’ fields in parts of the Horn of Africa. The event also helped make 2016 the planet’s hottest year on record. Now El Niño is back. The odds are decent that this one will be another strong event, raising concerns of extreme weather in the coming months. And a strong El Niño is very likely to set another global heat record. … ” Continue reading at Scientific American.
El Niño returns
“After three consecutive years of La Niña, spring 2023 saw the return of El Niño—a natural climate phenomenon characterized by the presence of warmer than normal sea surface temperatures (and higher sea levels) in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. El Niño is associated with the weakening of easterly trade winds and the movement of warm water from the western Pacific toward the western coast of the Americas. The phenomenon can have widespread effects, often bringing cooler, wetter conditions to the U.S. Southwest and drought to countries in the western Pacific, such as Indonesia and Australia. Satellite- and ocean-based measurements of sea surface temperature are one way to detect the arrival of El Niño. Its signature also shows up in satellite measurements of sea surface height, which rises as ocean temperatures warm up. That’s because warmer water expands to fill more volume, while cooler water contracts. … ” Continue reading at Earth Observatory.
Feds seek public input on whether to help sea otters expand range
“The public can weigh in on the possibility of reintroducing sea otters to stretches of the California and Oregon coasts at a series of open houses this week and next, hosted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Historically, a quarter million sea otters lived along the Pacific Rim, but fur traders hunted them to near extinction. The southern sea otter population in California expanded from a few dozen 100 years ago to about 3000 now. Lilian Carswell, southern sea otter recovery and marine conservation coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the open houses are an opportunity to hear the concerns of community members and stakeholders. “We want to provide an opportunity for people to just talk face-to-face and ask questions and share their perspectives,” Carswell explained. “All the information that we get will be used to help inform next steps, if any.” … ” Read more from the Public News Service.
In commentary today …
Climate change and poverty are our era’s existential battles
President Joseph R. Biden Jr., Fumio Kishida, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Emmanuel Macron, Charles Michel, Mia Mottley, Cyril Ramaphosa, William Ruto, Macky Sall, Olaf Scholz, Rishi Sunak, Ursula von der Leyen and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan write, “We are urgently working to deliver more for people and the planet. Multiple, overlapping shocks have strained countries’ ability to address hunger, poverty and inequality, build resilience and invest in their futures. Debt vulnerabilities in low- and middle-income countries present a major hurdle to their economic recovery, and to their ability to make critical long-term investments. We are urgently working to fight poverty and inequalities. An estimated 120 million people have been pushed into extreme poverty in the last three years and we are still far from achieving our United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. We should thus place people at the center of our strategy to increase human welfare everywhere on the globe. … ” Continue reading at the Washington Post.
Pacific Flyway birds are counting on California to honor voters and build Sites Reservoir
Jeff McCreary, director of operations for Ducks Unlimited’s western region, writes, “Lake Oroville and Shasta Lake are filled to the brim, and the rivers of the Central Valley are roaring. Thanks to an exceptionally wet winter, for the first time in years, farms and cities are receiving their full water supply because there’s more than enough to meet the needs of people and the environment. It’s also the type of bountiful year that would fill Sites Reservoir, which would hold a critical backup supply of water for dry years. Sites would help sustain migratory bird habitats and add needed flexibility to California’s overtaxed water-delivery system on which wildlife-friendly farming depends. Unfortunately, the state’s eighth-largest reservoir remains a dream unfulfilled, nearly a decade after voters approved the $7.1 billion Proposition 1 water bond that allocated hundreds of millions of dollars toward building Sites. It’s time for the reservoir to become a reality. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
California will consider setting minimum water flows for Scott River
“On Monday, the California State Water Resources Control Board scheduled a public hearing to consider setting minimum water flows for Scott River, a Klamath River tributary in Siskiyou County. The groups that petitioned the board last month, including the Karuk Tribe and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, say that setting minimum flows in the Scott River is critical for restoring the state’s salmon fishery. California’s salmon fishery was closed this year after abysmally low counts of juvenile salmon. Most of the coho salmon left in the Klamath use the Scott River at some point in their life cycle, said Craig Tucker, a natural resource consultant for the Karuk Tribe. “The physical characteristics of the Scott are such that coho salmon love this place. It’s a low gradient meandering stream, fed by a lot of groundwater,” he said. … ” Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard.
Yurok Tribe, conservation group and irrigators pledge to build a brighter future for salmon, farms
“The Yurok Tribe, CalTrout and Farmers Ditch Company recently signed an agreement that envisions a future where salmon populations and family farms both flourish in the Scott River Valley. “The Yurok Tribe initiated this unique partnership in an effort to develop cooperative, mutually beneficial solutions that help the Scott River’s salmon runs recover,” said Yurok Tribal Council Member Ryan Ray. “We believe that strong fish runs and resilient ranching operations can coexist in the Scott River Valley. This agreement establishes the necessary framework to make it happen.” The primary objectives of the partnership are to restore salmon habitat and improve on-farm water use efficiency. … ” Read more from the Redheaded Blackbelt.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Biden-Harris Administration announces over $3 million for projects that protect Lake Tahoe Basin as part of Investing in America agenda
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced $3.1 million in fiscal year 2023 funding from the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support the Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Program and prevent and combat the spread of aquatic invasive species in Lake Tahoe. The funds will support existing cooperative agreements with the Washoe Tribe of California and Nevada and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and augment a historic effort to restore the Lake Tahoe Basin ecosystem. “We are very proud to continue supporting the vital collaborations with local partners and Tribal leaders in Lake Tahoe, the world’s tenth deepest lake and one of the clearest and most spectacular bodies of water on the planet,” said Service Pacific Southwest Regional Director Paul Souza. “This significant investment will move us a step closer towards the restoration of one of California and Nevada’s natural treasures, for the benefit of Lahontan cutthroat trout and other native species.” … ” Read more from the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
The big plan to save Tahoe from itself has finally arrived
“The long-awaited plan to save Lake Tahoe has arrived. On Tuesday, community leaders unveiled a 126-page document, two years in the making, that seeks to course-correct Tahoe from an economy increasingly dependent on tourism as well as address concerns about environmental degradation in the basin and a widely held belief among locals that Tahoe “is on the wrong track.” Discussions around “overtourism,” workforce housing affordability and environmental woes have been percolating in Tahoe the past three years, since the pandemic effectively super-charged the socio-economic pressures on the region’s renters and working-class residents. Unlike well-meaning initiatives of the past, this one is affirmed by an agreement — signed by 17 key entities, including local governments, land management agencies, nonprofits and tourism bureaus — to create a special “destination stewardship” council tasked with conjuring ways to “better manage outdoor recreation and tourism and ensure the sustainability and preservation of an iconic natural treasure and its local community.” … ” Continue reading from the San Francisco Chronicle.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Placer County Water Agency and Roseville strengthen regional water supply reliability with a revised contract
Robert Dugan and Bruce Houdesheldt write, “The Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) and the City of Roseville last month signed a new agreement to make sure water is available to serve the needs of existing and growing communities. These water supplies create resiliency for economic prosperity in Roseville and an adequate, affordable, and safe water supply for Placer County communities with aging water systems that can benefit from connection to PCWA’s state-of-the-art water infrastructure. Roseville and PCWA have been working together for over ten years to make sure there is always water when we turn on the tap. This new agreement is an important step in meeting the increasing need for water and taking care of our important water resources in our area, as well as in the region and the whole state. … ” Read more from the Northern California Water Association.
Dixon Water Rate Committee to be given report on outreach efforts
“The Dixon Water Rate Ad Hoc Committee will be given a report on Thursday from Public Information Officer Madeline Graf on the committee’s outreach efforts to the public. The committee will also receive and discuss a presentation related to the water rate study prepared by Raftelis Financial Consultants in 2018 as well as water system capital improvement. In addition, there will be a presentation and discussion addressing the process required to sell a municipal water system. The committee will then be briefed on the questions received from the public since the last meeting, as well as the responses to those questions and comments. … ” Read more from the Vacaville Reporter.
BAY AREA
Rising groundwater threatens thousands of toxic sites in the Bay Area
“As climate change brings devastating storms and rising tides to California, many coastal communities face another threat, one that’s hidden and trickling up from below. When sea levels rise, dense saltwater moves inland beneath the soil, pushing up the layer of fresh groundwater that floats above it. In many coastal areas, even a few inches of sea level rise can raise the groundwater table enough to flood basements, leak through cracks in sewer lines and disrupt underground infrastructure. It can also seep into toxic sites from below, mobilizing hazardous materials and spreading pollutants far beyond the limits of the original contamination. A new report finds that over the next century, rising groundwater levels in the San Francisco Bay Area could impact twice as much land area as coastal flooding alone, putting more than 5,200 state- and federally-managed contaminated sites at risk. … ” Read more from UC Berkeley.
Developer gets creative to meet Burlingame’s Bayfront needs
“Burlingame’s Bayfront is in need of renovations, the threat of sea-level rise requires a wall and city officials are looking for ways to create some connectivity to the eastern part of town. And a proposed development at the old Hyatt cinema and adjoining properties could provide some answers. The development proposal, at 1200-1340 Bayshore Highway, includes three 11-story office buildings which could reach heights ranging from 210 to 214 feet tall and two parking structures reaching 10 stories high. The developers, DivcoWest, first presented plans to the city in April 2022. If approved, it would provide a total of 1.4 million square feet of office space for its future tenants and multiple public benefits. … ” Read more from the Daily Journal.
Where does it go after Lamorinda flushes? A tour of Central San explains it all
“On a recent tour of Central Contra Costa Sanitary District, more commonly referred to as Central San, this reporter tagged along with about 20 other members of the public who were also interested in finding out where everything goes after you flush. For Central San, located in Martinez, it all began in the 1940s when the area contained mostly farms, orchards and ranches. Waste was disposed of through septic tanks which became inefficient due to the heavy adobe clay soil. During a general election in 1946, the County Board of Supervisors approved the creation of the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District. By the end of 1948, wastewater flowed into the 4.5 million-gallons-per-day treatment plant. … ” Read more from Lamorinda Weekly.
CENTRAL COAST
Seacliff Pier may not be rebuilt because of rising sea levels
“California State Parks is studying the impact of rising sea levels before it determines whether to rebuild Seacliff State Park Beach’s pier and reopen its RV campsite, which is closed through at least 2023. In an online presentation, the agency said, “It’s premature for us to be able to say whether the facilities that were destroyed, ostensibly, the pier and the campground area, will be rebuilt.” The environmental study looks at rising sea levels and climate-adaptive measures, considering a possible 1.6, 3.3 and 5.7-foot increase and the subsequent future storm impact. … ” Read more from KSBY.
Department of Water Resources releases approved determination for the Paso Robles Area Subbasin
“On March 2, 2023, the California Department of Water Resources (Department) determined the Paso Robles Area Subbasin be Recommended for Approval. Today, the Department released the Approved Determination for the Paso Robles Area Subbasin. The determination can be found on the Department’s SGMA Portal.”
Goat grazing in Paso Robles: An unconventional approach to fire prevention
“Goats and sheep are grazing on the Salinas River in Paso Robles right now. It’s a tactic local governments are using to reduce wildfire risk. On a sunny morning in Paso Robles, a herd of goats and sheep graze along the lush banks of the Salinas River. There’s an earthy smell of chewed grass in the air. Beth Reynolds is a founder of Goat Girls LLC, the goat-grazing company working with the City of Paso Robles. She leads me to the grazing site by the river. The animals’ heads perk up as we approach; some cautiously back away while others come right up to us, recognizing Reynolds as a familiar face. “I just got bit by a goat,” Reynolds laughed. … ” Read more from KCBX.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Westlands Water District shows groundwater recharge success
“Today, Westlands Water District (District) released new data on the District’s groundwater recharge efforts. Since 2019, the District has been working with District landowners to establish on-farm recharge projects, with the goal of taking advantage of abundant water supply (when available) to improve groundwater levels in the lower and upper aquifers. … With increased surface water supply this year, the District has been able to take advantage of the opportunity to prepare for the future. In May 2023 alone, recharge efforts resulted in 24,000 acre-feet (af) being stored. Water year to date, (March 1st through June 20th) the District has recharged approximately 60,000 af. The District is aiming to get to over 200,000 af of total recharge by the end of this water year (February 29,2024). … ” Read the full press release from Westlands Water District.
SEE ALSO: Are we out of the drought? New numbers revealed in Fresno, from Your Central Valley
EASTERN SIERRA
A new model for peaceful resolution of water disputes
Carol Thomas-Keefer, General Manager of the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority, writes, “At the June 14, 2023, meeting of the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority (IWVGA) Board of Directors, General Counsel Keith Lemieux had some very surprising news to report. It seems that, in addition to working for the Groundwater Authority, Lemieux also represents clients in the Las Posas Basin in Ventura County. As in our local basin, the Las Posas Basin is managed by a groundwater authority — in this case the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency. Also like our basin, certain unsatisfied pumpers had filed a groundwater adjudication to resolve water rights in the basin – resulting in expensive litigation. Lemieux reported to the IWVGA Board that this lawsuit had been recently settled and that the settlement had been approved by the court. … ” Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Conservation Consequences: How will the Colorado River agreement affect the Coachella Valley?
“After 18 months of negotiating—and bickering amongst themselves—the three lower Colorado River basin states of California, Arizona and Nevada reached an agreement on how to best conserve the river’s valuable water supply in the near term. … [On May 22], the lower-basin states sent a proposal to the Bureau of Reclamation detailing a conservation strategy to save 3 million acre-feet of Colorado River water between now and Jan. 1, 2027. California committed to saving 400,000 acre-feet of water per year—which means that a bit more than half of the total savings will be achieved by California alone. What does this mean for the Coachella Valley water picture over the coming four years, presuming the proposal is accepted by the Bureau of Reclamation? Well … it’s complicated. … ” Read more from the Coachella Valley Independent.
SAN DIEGO
City of San Diego will pay $4.6 million for 2020 sewage spill into Sweetwater River
“The City of San Diego agreed to pay $4.6 million and make necessary repairs and improvements to its sanitary sewer system that failed during intense storms on April 10-11, 2020, discharging more than 11 million gallons of untreated wastewater into the Sweetwater River and threatening environmental harm to residents of a nearby disadvantaged community, fish and wildlife. The San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board adopted a stipulated cease-and-desist order with a set schedule for the needed repairs. It also approved the substantial penalty for water quality violations that occurred due to a blockage in the underground siphon that transports wastewater underneath the river to the sewer system’s second largest pump station. Pump failure and aging equipment at the station were also major contributing factors. … ” Read more from the State Water Resources Control Board.
Along the Colorado River …
Arizona is running out of cheap water. Investors saw it coming
” … The explosive growth of Queen Creek and suburbs like it in Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties had rested on the promise that the vast aquifer system beneath them held enough groundwater to keep the pools full for 100 years. That assumption came to an end this month after Arizona officials made a stunning announcement: There’s not enough groundwater to meet projected demand, and new housing construction in the region will be more tightly regulated. A new state report indicates the water supply is about 5 million acre-feet, or 4%, short of what’s needed the next century. It’s enough of a gap to pause development plans and could send home prices higher. More importantly, it’s challenging the mindset that desert growth can continue without limits in a time when climate change is making everything even drier. “Essentially, we’re overdrawing that bank account of groundwater, and we’re overdrawing the amount in storage,” said Sharon Megdal, the director of the Water Resources Research Center at the University of Arizona. … ” Read the full story at Bloomberg (gift article).
Here’s how Arizona’s water future depends on new water supplies
“None of us has a crystal ball, but we can be certain that Arizona’s water future will require a variety of adaptive changes. We must adjust to reduced availability of Colorado River water and adjust to enhanced regulation of groundwater uses. This regulation will come in various forms. For the first time in decades, additional groundwater basins have been designated for regulation as a new Active Management Area (AMA) and a new Irrigation Non-Expansion Area (INA). For some water users and landowners, the result is restricted access to groundwater supplies. In existing AMAs, regulatory postures and constraints on available supplies could pose constraints on real estate development. … ” Read more from Arizona Big Media.
Hobbs signs bill restoring water to Rio Verde Foothills after months without source
“After months without access to water, Arizonans in the unincorporated Rio Verde Foothills – just east of Scottsdale – have a temporary solution after Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a bipartisan bill Monday to restore water to the area. Senate Bill 1432 will require Scottsdale to allocate water resources for three years via a newly established standpipe district. A standpipe district refers to a designated area or region where a standpipe, typically a vertical pipe or tower connected to a water supply system, is installed to provide water access to residents or communities. The standpipe serves as a centralized point for individuals to obtain water. … ” Read more from the Center Square.
In national water news today …
How the courthouse came to be a major habitat for the ESA
“The authors of the Endangered Species Act failed to foresee the elephant in the room. The words “lawyer,” “lawsuit” and “litigation” did not appear in the congressional record during House and Senate debate when it was passed into law 50 years ago. The absence is remarkable, as litigation now looms large over the law’s inner workings. Consider this: E&E News identified 53 final ESA actions taken by the Fish and Wildlife Service between Jan. 1, 2022, and May 1, 2023, including listings of threatened or endangered species, critical habitat designations and other final steps. Of these 53 final actions published in the Federal Register during the 16-month period, at least 38 involved species that had been the subject of lawsuits. Numerically, at least, it’s undeniable that litigation matters. … ” Read more from E&E News.
Ocean heat is off the charts – here’s what that means for humans and ecosystems around the world
“Ocean temperatures have been off the charts since mid-March 2023, with the highest average levels in 40 years of satellite monitoring, and the impact is breaking through in disruptive ways around the world. The sea of Japan is more than 7 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) warmer than average. The Indian monsoon, closely tied to conditions in the warm Indian Ocean, has been well below its expected strength. Spain, France, England and the whole Scandinavian Peninsula are also seeing rainfall far below normal, likely connected to an extraordinary marine heat wave in the eastern North Atlantic. Sea surface temperatures there have been 1.8 to 5 F (1 to 3 C) above average from the coast of Africa all the way to Iceland. So, what’s going on? … ” Read more from The Conversation.
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
NOTICE: Posting of Additional Information for Water Right Permit Application A025517X01 of Sites Project Authority – Colusa, Glenn, and Tehama Counties
NOTICE of opportunity to comment and of public hearing on a petition for rulemaking to set minimum flows on the Scott River
NOTICE of opportunity to comment: General Waste Discharge Requirements for Discharges from Irrigated Lands, Central Coast Regional Board
