A wrap-up of posts published on Maven’s Notebook this week …
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This week’s featured articles …
NOTEBOOK FEATURE: Wild baby salmon raised on a California rice farm show stunning survival to the ocean
When Steve Neader’s rice farm flooded last winter after three years of drought, a UC Davis research team checked to see what else had come in with the water. Neader grows rice in California’s Sutter Bypass, a huge leveed channel north of the city of Sacramento that ultimately shunts river overflows into the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
The team was looking for fish. “I saw the researchers on my way to lunch and when they told me what they were doing, I just laughed,” Neader recalls.
But when he came back from lunch, the researchers had just netted a foot-long largemouth bass. They also found plenty of other fish, including those they most wanted to see: Chinook salmon. As many as a couple of million adult Central Valley chinook once returned from the ocean to spawn in rivers and streams each year, but these fish are now imperiled by the many dams and levees that cut them off from their best spawning and nursery habitat.
Click here to continue reading this article.
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.
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.”
Click here to read this article @ Maven’s Notebook.
In California water news this week …
The trillion-gallon question: Extreme weather is threatening California’s dams. What happens if they fail?
“On the morning of Feb. 7, 2017, two electricians were working on a warning siren near the spillway of Oroville Dam, 60 miles north of Sacramento, when they heard an explosion. As they watched, a giant plume of water rose over their heads, and chunks of concrete began flying down the hillside toward the Feather River. The dam’s spillway, a concrete channel capable of moving millions of gallons of water out of the reservoir in seconds, was disintegrating in front of them. … In the six years since Oroville, dam operators across the country have begun to reassess the structures under their control, looking for hidden weaknesses: the cracks in the spillway, the hillside that crumbles at the first sign of water. That work is necessary, but it may not be enough to prevent the next disaster. Bigger storms are on the way. “We still haven’t severely tested California’s primary flood-control structures,” says Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles. The emergency spillway at Oroville, for example, was operating at about 3 percent of its capacity when Honea ordered the evacuation. “If we had an even marginally bigger event on the weather front that year,” Swain says, “it would have been significantly worse.” … ” Read more from the New York Times (gift article).
State Water Board announces tentative schedule for probationary hearings for 6 critically overdrafted groundwater basins
“Moving to address the potential for severe impacts to water users and infrastructure in certain groundwater basins that lack plans for sustainable management, the State Water Resources Control Board has proposed a tentative schedule for probationary hearings for all six basins referred by the Department of Water Resources (DWR) for state intervention under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) earlier this year. Per the proposed schedule, the first two probationary hearings, for the Tulare Lake Subbasin in Kings County and Tule Subbasin in Tulare County, would proceed in December 2023 and January 2024, respectively. By October 2024 the State Water Board would hold hearings for all four remaining basins – Kaweah, Kern County, Delta-Mendota and Chowchilla – in that order. … ” Read more from the State Water Board via Maven’s Notebook.
Harvest Water Program awarded $277.5 Million in Prop. 1 funds
“The California Water Commission on Wednesday awarded the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (Regional San) $277.5 million to help construct the Harvest Water Program, a conjunctive-use project that will supply treated wastewater to agricultural lands that also provide habitat to wildlife in southern Sacramento County. It is the first project in the Water Storage Investment Program (WSIP) to complete the Proposition 1 requirements and appear before the Commission for a final award hearing. Prop. 1, also known as the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, dedicated $2.7 billion for investments in the public benefits of water storage projects, and designated the California Water Commission as the agency responsible for allocating the funds through a competitive process. … ” Read more from the California Water Commission via Maven’s Notebook.
SEE ALSO: Prop 1 Funding to Bring More Irrigation Water to South Sacramento County, from Ag Net West
Renewing California’s groundwater: Ready, set, recharge!
“As farmers and water managers scramble to funnel some of last winter’s abundant snow and rainfall into the ground, we spoke with two recharge experts: Daniel Mountjoy of Sustainable Conservation and Aaron Fukuda of the Tulare Irrigation District. What changes have you seen this year compared to the wet years of 2017 and 2019? Are farmers more willing to put water on their fields? Aaron Fukuda: For us, the unequivocal answer to that is “absolutely.” There has been a cultural change in irrigation practices, and we now have full-blown winter irrigation when historically the winter months were a farmer’s break time. Folks are now prepping their fields to take water in the dead of winter. So in the middle of last year’s floods, we weren’t flooding—we were recharging. … ” Read more from the PPIC.
SEE ALSO:
- Farming to Save Water, from Comstock’s Magazine
- Grower Taking Initiative to Recharge Groundwater, from Ag Net West
- Westlands ramps up groundwater recharge efforts, from the San Joaquin Valley Sun
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.
Proposed standard for hexavalent chromium includes schedule that helps small systems comply
“Reaching another milestone in the process of creating a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for hexavalent chromium, the State Water Resources Control Board formally proposed to set the level at 10 parts per billion (ppb), which would bring a new standard of public health protection for the state’s drinking water. The proposal includes a three-stage compliance schedule that would provide small water systems with more time to acquire and implement the necessary water treatment technologies to meet this standard. Small systems with fewer than 10,000 connections often serve disadvantaged communities and have a smaller customer base for distributing improvement costs. As a result, they may struggle with the financial and technical challenges of installing new treatment technology for hexavalent chromium. … ”
Press release: State Water Board proposes Hexavalent Chromium Limit five hundred times higher than the public health goal
“Today, the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) took a necessary and long-awaited step by releasing a draft maximum limit for Hexavalent Chromium (Chrome 6) in drinking water. However, at 10 μg/L, the proposed limit is 500 times the Public Health Goal of 0.02 μg/L. While a health protective MCL is urgently needed, this proposal does nothing to strengthen the same inadequate level in the administrative draft released in March 2022. The State Board must do better to provide protection for the California public. “Clean water, safe water, and water that’s not harmful for humans should be our number one priority,” says Naaman Starling who relies on a private well in Monterey County for his drinking water. “I have chromium-6 at 27 parts per billion, and we waited six years to just leave [the MCL] at the same level, while leaving many communities exposed to this carcinogen. The state needs to protect our health.” … ” Continue reading from the Community Water Center.
Feinstein introduces bill to restore San Joaquin Valley canals
“Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today introduced the Canal Conveyance Capacity Restoration Act, a bill to authorize more than $653 million to restore the capacity of three San Joaquin Valley canals. Restoring these canals would improve California’s drought resilience and help farmers comply with limits on groundwater pumping under the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Congressman Jim Costa, with support from Congressmen John Garamendi and Josh Harder (all D-Calif.), previously introduced a companion bill in the House of Representatives. The bill also authorizes an additional $180 million to restore salmon runs on the San Joaquin River. The funding is for fish passage structures, levees and other improvements that will allow the threatened Central Valley Spring-run Chinook salmon to swim freely upstream from the ocean to the Friant Dam. … ” Read more from Senator Feinstein’s office.
Feinstein, Padilla introduce bill to provide clean drinking water to disadvantaged communities
“Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla (both D-Calif.) today introduced the Restore Aging Infrastructure Now Act, or RAIN Act, which would invest in aging canals and other drinking water and irrigation facilities to provide environmental benefits and improve drinking water supplies for disadvantaged California communities. “Given the inevitability of increasingly severe and lengthy droughts as the West’s climate changes, maintaining and modernizing our water infrastructure is extremely important,” Senator Feinstein said. “Our bill would incentives collaboration and investment in projects that bring agricultural, environmental and urban interests together to address the very serious challenge of providing a reliable water supply for all, including disadvantaged communities.” … ” Read more from Senator Feinstein’s office.
SEE ALSO: Proposed bill seeks to restore Central Valley canals, salmon runs, from Your Central Valley
Feinstein, Kelly, Sinema introduce bill to increase, modernize water supply
“Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) today introduced the Support to Rehydrate the Environment, Agriculture and Municipalities Act or STREAM Act to increase water supply and modernize water infrastructure throughout the West. “As the last years have proven, climate change is making severe and prolonged drought a stark reality for the West. We must act now to improve our t resilience to severe drought in the future,” Senator Feinstein said. “We need an ‘all-of-the-above’ strategy to meet this challenge, including increasing our water supply, incentivizing projects that provide environmental benefits and drinking water for disadvantaged communities, and investing in environmental restoration efforts.” … ” Read more from Senator Feinstein’s office.
Congressman Valadao secures critical water language in energy and water appropriations bill
“Today, Congressman David G. Valadao (CA-22) spoke in support of the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Energy and Water Appropriations Bill during a full committee markup. The bill text includes Rep. Valadao’s Working to Advance Tangible and Effective Reforms (WATER) for California Act. “For too long, complex and contradictory laws and regulations that control how much water we are able to pump, and what storage projects we’re able to build and use, have amplified the water shortage problems across the western United States,” said Congressman Valadao. “Provisions in this bill will help alleviate some of these issues by increasing water storage, streamlining operations, and bringing much needed accountability to the way water is managed.” … ” Read more from Congressman Valadao’s office.
In commentary this week …
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. … ” Click here to read more from the San Jose Mercury News (gift article).
George Skelton: On delta tunnel, Newson should heed Dirty Harry’s sound advice
Columnist George Skelton writes, “To paraphrase Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry in the 1973 movie classic “Magnum Force,” a governor’s got to know his limitations. There are limits to the power even of a governor with no major political opposition and a very friendly, normally cooperative Legislature. This time, Gov. Gavin Newsom may have found his limitations. Key lawmakers are pushing back against his late-entry legislation to expedite construction of a highly controversial water tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. As is his pattern, Newsom is trying to jam through the legislation at the last minute, denying legislators and the public ample time to assess and debate the proposal. That really ticks off lawmakers, whether they’re leaders or backbenchers. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
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.
Central Valley subsidence and flooding are the next threat to high-speed rail
Marc Joffe, a federalism and state policy analyst at the Cato Institute, writes, “This year’s rainy season has raised a new threat to the California high-speed rail project’s construction schedule: flooding. The California High Speed Rail Authority’s March 2023 Project Update set back the date for Central Valley service to late 2030 at the earliest—a stark contrast to the original projection of 2020 for service along the entire Phase I line connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles and Anaheim. But shortly after the Authority released its update, several work sites near Corcoran flooded, halting construction. The flooding prompted discussion of a rebirth of Lake Tulare, once the largest lake West of the Mississippi. If the lake were to become a permanent feature, it could leave a portion of the high-speed rail right of way under water. … ” Read more from the OC Register (gift article).
California’s regulated water utilities work constantly to provide safe, clean water
Jennifer Capitolo, executive director of the California Water Association, writes, “Water is a precious resource, essential to life and requires our utmost care. As drought, climate change, wildfires and other natural disasters become more impactful, it is more important than ever that we are meeting our everyday and emergency water needs. Across California, over 90 regulated water utilities are serving more than 6 million customers. Locally, residents in Calipatria and Niland receive water from Golden State Water Company, a utility provider that employs water professionals and industry experts who live and work in the communities they serve. They’re dedicated to building water infrastructure, supporting the sustainability of our natural resources, and delivering clean and reliable drinking water 24/7 year-round. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun.
In regional water news this week …
Update on Copco Number 2 dam removal: Construction is underway and expected to continue though Summer
The deconstruction of Copco No. 2, the smallest of the four hydroelectric dams being removed from the Klamath River, is underway. This week, crews removed the gates, walkway, and two of the five bays down to the spillway. This work was done to direct waters around the dam, rather than over it, allowing construction crews to do work through the summer months. “While this is just the first step, it certainly is an exciting moment,” said Mark Bransom, CEO of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC). “Crews are making fast progress in these early stages of the project, and we are on track with our removal timeline.” …
Paradise lost? Copco Lake residents brace for dam removal
“The impending removal of four hydroelectric dams on the main stem of the Klamath River has thrown the normally tranquil community of Copco Lake into turmoil. The Copco Lake store has been closed for over a decade; still, it’s easy to imagine stopping in for some bait and sandwich fixings, or chatting with a neighbor in one of the mismatched rocking chairs on the front porch. The sidewalk in front of the store is cracked, but the building is tidy, and on a sunny day in late May, Francis Gill is mowing the lawn. Danny Fontaine, Gill’s husband, recalls a time when rafters, still breathless after riding in on the Klamath River’s Class 3 and 4 rapids, crowded the grass. “It was really lively,” says Fontaine. “And so we’re thinking, well, that would be really cool to recreate that out here.” … ” Read more from Jefferson Public Radio.
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.
Redding: New channel teeming with fish thanks to impressive teamwork
“Arthur Garcia, Cultural Resource Manager and Tribal Elder of the Wintu Tribe of Northern California, addressed a crowd of roughly 50 people near the bank of the Sacramento River in south Redding. They were there to celebrate the completion of the Kapusta Open Space Side Channel Project. The nearly half-mile-long channel was designed to provide rearing and spawning habitat for Chinook salmon and made possible thanks to a large-scale collaboration between Chico State Enterprises (managed by the North State Planning and Development Collective), Federal and State agencies, two nonprofit organizations, two Native American Tribes, and the City of Redding. “When we work together, we can do powerful things,” Garcia said. Yards away, in the cold, clear channel, spawning activity was observed immediately following construction. … ” Read more from CSU Chico.
Metropolitan to get $21 million to transform Delta island
“Grazing cattle on an island in the central Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta could soon make way for Contra Costa County’s first rice fields and a mosaic of restored wetlands now that its owner has received a $20.9 million state grant. The company plans to restore nearly 5,000 acres of Webb Tract, including 3,000 in wetlands, 1,500 in rice fields and the rest in other habitats, such as grasslands and scrub. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy Board recently approved funding for the restoration work at Webb Tract, which the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California proposed on land it purchased along with three other islands – Bouldin, Bacon and Holland – for $175 million in 2016. At the time, the district said it could use them to store construction equipment, but critics warned that it would make it easier for the governor’s proposed — and later scrapped — California Water Fix project to send more water to Southern California, with twin tunnels to be built smack in the islands’ pathway. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
Hanford town hall event examines drought, flooding and sustainable water practices
“Water was on the menu at a town hall meeting held in Hanford Friday night. The Kings County Democrats hosted a non-partisan town hall event centered around water issues at the Civic Auditorium — those issues ranged from the many long droughts the state has endured to the Valley’s current state of being retaken by the waters of Tulare Lake and the dilemmas the state faces from both extremes. The event’s keynote speaker was Valley journalist Mark Arax, the award-winning author of “The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust across California” and the co-author of “The King of California: J.G. Boswell and the Making of a Secret American Empire.” … ” Read more from the Hanford Sentinel.
Tooleville tank springs a leak, temporarily shutting off water to the beleaguered Tulare County town
“On top of all its other water woes, the tiny town of Tooleville temporarily lost water entirely Friday after one of its aging storage tanks sprang a leak. This is just the latest in a string of water issues that have plagued the rural Tulare County community for decades. Tooleville’s two wells have repeatedly run dry over the years, particularly during drought when nearby agricultural groundwater pumping intensifies. Residents rely on bottled drinking water because its groundwater supply is laced with a carcinogen called Hexavalent Chromium. It’s also currently receiving hauled water for the storage tanks from nonprofit Self-Help Enterprises because one of its wells has been struggling to produce enough water. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Ventura County Grand Jury calls for changes to prevent water shortages during wildfires
“The Ventura County Grand Jury has called for local agencies to do more to prevent water shortages during wildfires – a list of recommendations that includes adding backup power for all critical equipment. The citizen panel said it investigated policies at 15 public water providers in the county and found some lacking, according to the report released last week. During fires, “an adequate supply of water is essential,” but backup power to keep equipment running is not always available, the report states. The panel said only a third – or five of 15 – of the agencies interviewed had permanent backup power for all critical equipment. Only one of the 15 had written procedures for how to respond when the National Weather Service issues watches and warnings of critical fire weather. … ” Read more from the Ventura County Star.
Supreme Court water ruling deals blow to Navajo Nation
“The largest Native American reservation in the United States has lost a key legal battle to protect access to a waterway that is critical to its citizens’ spiritual practices — and their survival. All but one member of the Supreme Court’s conservative majority ruled Thursday against the Navajo Nation in its fight to ensure that the federal government is legally obligated to address the tribe’s need for water from the dwindling flows of the Colorado River. One Republican-appointed justice, however, broke ranks to decry the devastating effect of the court’s decision on the Navajo people, who live on just a fraction of the water used by the average American household. … ” Read more from E&E News.
SEE ALSO: Supreme court rules against Navajo nation in Colorado River water dispute, from The Guardian
Announcements, notices, and funding opportunities …
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
NOTICE of Proposed Rulemaking: Hexavalent Chromium MCL
