On the calendar today …
- LEG HEARING: Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water beginning upon adjournment of Military and Veterans Affairs Committee. Click here for the full agenda and remote access instructions.
In California water news today …
Strawberry fields forever? Strawberry production leaves long-term plastic pollution, research finds
“Researchers have found that the plastic mulch used to support the growth of Californian strawberries sheds large quantities of plastic mulch fragments. These particles have been shown to negatively impact soil qualities, casting doubt on the long-term viability of their use. The findings from the survey are likely to apply world-wide to plastic use in agricultural production. Presenting their work at the Goldschmidt geochemistry conference in Lyon, postdoctoral researcher Dr. Ekta Tiwari (from Sistla group at California Polytechnic State University) said “What we are seeing a huge quantity of macroplastic plastic material—particles bigger than 5mm across—being shed where the mulch is used to enhance strawberry production. These can remain in the soil for decades or longer.” … ” Continue reading at PhysOrg.
Can we prevent another algaepocalypse in San Francisco Bay?
“Starting in July 2022, a dark, reddish-brown tinge crept across San Francisco Bay, leaving dead fish in its wake. Carcasses piled up, first on the shores of Alameda and Lake Merritt, then South Bay, then all the way to Point Pinole. In a matter of weeks, more than 800 sturgeon and countless other fish perished from a lack of oxygen and, possibly, algal toxins. Last summer’s “algaepocalypse” was the Bay’s worst harmful algae bloom ever recorded. Since then, officials from wildlife, water, and health agencies have been scrambling to piece together what happened—and how future algae blooms might be prevented. Ten months later, they are just starting to get answers. … ” Read more from Bay Nature.
Putah Creek’s rebirth: a model for reconciling other degraded streams?
“It’s hard to look at native fishes in Putah Creek and not grin a little. Be it a Sacamento Pikeminnow (below), a Sacramento Sucker, a Tule Perch, or even a Chinook Salmon – Putah Creek has become a treasured resource in our local community. The stream and its riparian areas are a nature refuge for local residents, a field site for teaching students, and increasingly a science lab for studying restoration. As often discussed on this blog, California’s freshwater ecosystems face numerous challenges due to human activities (Moyle and Rypel 2023, Rypel and Moyle 2023, Rypel 2023). These are not just California problems, they are global problems, especially in regions that share our Mediterranean style climate. … ” Continue reading from the California Water Blog.
California lakes nearing capacity as temperatures rise: Potential spill-over looms for Millerton Lake
“With temperatures on the rise, lakes are filling up fast and getting close to capacity. According to the California Department of Water Resources Millerton Lake’s storage capacity is 98% full. Which is 124% above the historic average for this time of year. Looking at all of California’s major water supply reservoirs, a good chunk of them are over 90% full. … ” Continue reading at KMPH.
Friant-Kern Canal flood damage repairs continue
“The Friant Water Authority, which oversees the Friant-Kern Canal, provided another update on the ongoing efforts to repair the flood damaged area of the canal when it comes to the Middle Reach Capacity Correction Project in its newsletter for June. The newsletter is posted on FWA’s website. March storms did severe damage to the repairs as a result of the Deer Creek overflowing. The damage obviously complicated efforts to complete the first stage of repairs to the canal by early 2024. FWA CEO Jason Phillips has said it’s important to complete those repairs so operations of the canal in that area can resume and not be disrupted as they have been this year due to the repairs. … ” Read more from the Porterville Recorder.
‘An insane amount of water’: What climate change means for California’s biggest dairy district
“For Joseph Goni, a fourth-generation dairy farmer in Tulare County, California, the region’s historic floods were part of family lore. As such, his grandfather, who lived through the 1955 deluge, often stressed the proper maintenance of the berms protecting the ranch from the nearby Tule River—a lesson echoed by his father, who faced a similar event in 1983. But the epic flooding this past March was simply unprecedented, says the owner of Lerda-Goni Farms. … All told, one official estimate pegs the dairy industry’s losses at $10 billion. While the lake has drained down to about 168 square miles, a chilly spring also kept the high-elevation snowpack at a slow melt, helping to avert an even greater calamity in the low-slung basin. Yet, as whole farming communities dig themselves out of the muddy ruins, the growing uncertainty of climate change is darkening a cloud over the future of the region’s largest industry—one valued at nearly $2 billion annually. … ” Read the full story at Modern Farmer.
Social media used to warn of flood dangers in Northern California
“Residents of Guerneville, an unincorporated community in Northern California’s Sonoma County, started 2023 with a series of powerful drenching storms, what meteorologists call atmospheric rivers. Tens of thousands of county residents lost power, tall redwoods toppled across roads. The Russian River crested over its banks, flooding roadways and inundating homes. Lynda Hopkins, the District 5 Supervisor who represents Guerneville, stayed up late, glued to her computer to refresh the weather forecasting pages that keep her updated on the Russian River’s levels. For Hopkins, who also runs an organic farm, this information is essential. Even a change of a few inches of water level can flood roads, cutting off access to entire neighborhoods, or can creep into her constituents’ houses late at night as residents sleep unawares. Hopkins, though, encountered a persistent impediment. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which produces the weather reports, does not update them on a consistent schedule. … ” Read more from Circle of Blue.
Former worker charged with cyberattack on East Bay water treatment plant
“A Tracy man was indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with a cyberattack on an East Bay water treatment plant that endangered the region’s water supply, the U.S. District Attorney’s Office Northern District of California announced. Rambler Gallo, 53, was charged with intentionally uninstalling the main operational and monitoring systems for the Discovery Bay Water Treatment Facility, which treats water and wastewater for about 15,000 residents in the Contra Costa County community of Discovery Bay, federal prosecutors said in a statement on Friday. Gallo’s alleged actions caused “a threat to public health and safety,” United States Attorney Ismail Ramsey and FBI San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp said in a joint statement. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
How the Western drought has increased carbon emissions
“At the turn of the twentieth century, as the United States developed the West, the federal government built hundreds of hydroelectric dams on major rivers in the region. These dams destroyed river ecosystems and flooded Indigenous land, but they also provided a cheap and abundant source of renewable energy for tens of millions of people. Hydropower today meets around a quarter of the region’s energy needs. But the hydroelectric fleet in the West has taken a beating over the past 20 years as a series of devastating droughts have battered the area. When major rivers dry up, less water flows through hydroelectric dam turbines — and dams produce less electricity as a result. At the same time, the heat waves that often accompany dry periods lead to more demand for power as people crank up their air conditioning. That’s bad news for grid operators, who have to find an alternate source of electricity just as dams are falling short. … ” Read more from The Grist.
Dueling California agendas: Building affordable housing vs. protecting the coast
“California lawmakers have been busy over the past decade trying to make it easier to build homes across a housing-strapped state. But there’s an 840-mile-long exception. In an undulating band that generally runs 1,000 yards from the shoreline, the 12 members of the California Coastal Commission have the final say over what gets built, where and how. Voters empowered the commission to protect the state’s iconic beaches in 1972, responding to a crisis of despoiled seas and the prospect of the Miami-fication of the California coast. But five decades later, the state faces a different crisis as millions of Californians struggle to find an affordable place to call home. Now a growing number of legislators and housing advocates are trying to wrest away some of the commission’s power. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Forest can adapt to climate change, but not quickly enough
“America’s forests have a tough time in store for them. Climate change is increasing temperatures and decreasing moisture levels across the country, not a winning combination for trees. Researchers at UC Santa Barbara and University of Utah sought to determine how our sylvan ecosystems might fare in the near future. The authors combined mathematical models and data collected by the U.S. Forest Service and plant physiologists to understand the vulnerability of woodlands to drought. Their findings suggest that, while most forests have the potential to adapt to hotter, dryer conditions, they aren’t changing quickly enough to avoid the impending stress. The study, published in Global Change Biology, serves as a benchmark for future forest research, as well as a guide for conservation and management. … ” Read more from The Current.
In regional water news and commentary today …
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Leaking ACID canal getting old for waterlogged residents; health concerns arise
“Picture residential streets where cars round the corner and splash mucky water connected to small, algae-filled ponds that fester on the roadway’s edge. Look around and wonder why a port-a-potty sits just outside someone’s front door. Another street over, wooden pallets provide a dry walkway over standing water so the residents don’t get their shoes wet and muddy when they walk to and from their car. What’s going on in this quiet neighborhood just outside the Anderson city limits that borders on the Anderson-Cottonwood Irrigation District (ACID) Canal?For several months now, residents and ACID officials have been dealing with water – too much of it – that’s seeped from cracks in the mostly earthen canal and filled nearby yards to overflowing. … ” Read more from A News Cafe.
California celebrates launch of Orestimba Creek stormwater capture project
“California water agencies celebrated the launch of the Orestimba Creek Recharge and Recovery project, which would capture up to 3,500 acre-feet per year of stormwater flows for irrigation while reducing nearby flooding risks. California’s State Water Resources Control Board joined the Central California Irrigation District (CCID) and Del Puerto Water District (DPWD) in Newman, California to celebrate the project launch. The project is scheduled for completion in June 2024. The State Water Board committed $5.6 million from its Prop 1 Stormwater Grant Program to fully fund construction of the project’s recharge ponds and diversion and conveyance structures. To provide needed flexibility to plan for and maximize stormwater capture over successive wet seasons, the board issued its second-ever five-year temporary permit to the water districts in May. … ” Read more from Stormwater Solutions.
BAY AREA
Marin gets $4M grant to capture stormwater pollutants
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $4 million grant to Marin County to install devices that capture trash, chemicals and other pollutants in stormwater before they can enter creeks, marshes and the ocean. Covering areas of 10 acres or more, the separators, screens and nets will be installed at major junctions in the county’s stormwater systems, such as along major highways. While smaller waste collectors exist in the county, these will be the largest devices to be operated by Marin County and local cities. The devices would work to filter out not only wrappers and plastic bags but also fine sediments from construction or erosion; pathogens from fecal waste; artificial chemicals such as pesticides and PCBs; and mercury, according to Marin County Assistant Public Works Director Berenice Davidson. The EPA estimates that about 8,800 gallons of trash will be prevented from polluting Marin’s waterways. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
CENTRAL COAST
Winter’s floodwaters have receded in the Pajaro Valley, leaving behind fertile ground for lawsuits
“The first floodwaters that poured into her home on Dec. 31 shocked Watsonville resident Maria Teresa Fuentes, who knew the rain was abnormally heavy but never expected a flood. She, as many others that evening, evacuated rather than celebrating New Year’s Eve. Fuentes and her family moved into a hotel and hoped for minimal damage from the knee-high deluge. … The winter floods seemed to never relent. During the March 10 storm that would eventually overwhelm the Pajaro River levee, Fuentes said her home flooded for a sixth time, Corrales’ home a fourth. Initial frustration and inconvenience evolved into pain and substantial property and emotional damage. They felt abandoned by their government and wanted it to pay for what they saw as its failure. Separately, they each began searching for attorneys. … ” Read more from Lookout Santa Cruz.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
California to provide $20 million to flooded Central Valley farm town
” … As many residents know too well, California’s weather is increasingly tilting toward disaster, with droughts lasting longer and storms growing bigger and more furious because of climate change. The state’s poorer workers tend to live in areas with inferior infrastructure. They are less likely to be able to afford flood and other disaster insurance, and they may be excluded from relief because they lack legal status. In Planada, in the flatlands about an hour west of Yosemite National Park, many families have been left to scrape together money on their own to pay for expensive repairs from the flooding and to replace the clothes, books and furniture that were damaged beyond repair. Some had to flee their houses in pajamas, carrying just their pets. Soria and State Senator Anna Caballero, whose district includes Planada, pushed to secure $20 million for Planada in the state budget, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed late last month. The money will help residents buy vehicles, pay rent or mortgages, and afford home remediation, among other things. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
Kern County: Where’d the water go? Underground storage
“This hasn’t just been a historic year for Kern County water delivery. The year 2023 has also been extraordinary for recharging aquifers that store local supplies for dry years ahead. Water managers say years of investment in expanding local recharge capacity is paying off — and so are recent public-private partnerships that have turned former orchards and ag fields into large, temporary basins that allow surface water to infiltrate underground pools. The rising surplus has helped the area recover from years of worsening drought, but it does little to ease concerns about impacts from upcoming groundwater pumping restrictions, and local authorities caution against easing up on conservation. Still, predictions that this will be a record year for California underground water storage improve the county’s position for prospering into the future. … ” Read more from the Bakersfield Californian.
Tehachapi: Water district reviews strategic plan
“The last update to the strategic plan for Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District was made in July 2021 — building upon a plan created two years earlier. Anticipating community involvement in a workshop-style review of the plan, the district’s Board of Directors set a special meeting for July 6 — and the meeting was promoted. But no members of the public showed up for the planning session — except for two people representing local media. Directors proceeded with the review, and an updated plan will be published online after a formal review of modifications at an upcoming meeting of the board. … ” Read more from the Tehachapi News.
SAN DIEGO
Local leaders voice concern ahead of vote on North County water district separation
“Ahead of next week’s controversial vote on the detachment of two North County water districts from the San Diego County Water Authority, several local leaders voiced their concern for how the proposed divorce could impact water rates. The proposal — submitted to the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFC) earlier this year — is the latest in a years-long fight over whether the utility districts, Fallbrook Public Utility District and Rainbow Municipal Water District, can leave the county’s central water agency to switch providers to a cheaper option in Riverside County. During a meeting of the LAFC in June, representatives for the two agencies argued that rising rates for water through the County Water Authority has placed a financial burden on their customers, mostly small farmers, that they cannot afford. … ” Read more from Fox 5.
Along the Colorado River …
‘What are we willing to sacrifice?’ A journey down America’s most endangered river
“Our small metal boat glides through the current as it snakes between steep sandstone cliffs. Tucked between America’s two largest reservoirs, the stretch of the Colorado River that lies north-east of the Grand Canyon is cool and calm. As the water glimmers in the early morning light, it is easy to forget this serene waterway has been named the most endangered in the US. But as we round a bend, a shadow envelops the boat and Glen Canyon Dam comes into view – 4.9m cubic yards of concrete ominously arching 710ft into a cloudless sky. “This is as close as we can get,” says Ted Kennedy, a biologist and one of my guides for the day, as he cuts the engine. … ” Read more from The Guardian.
In national water news today …
Where are the world’s water stresses?
“In May 2023, the Arizona Department of Water Resources imposed restrictions on the construction of new housing in the Phoenix area, citing a lack of groundwater. The decision aims to slow population growth in one of the fastest-growing regions in the U.S. and underlines the dwindling water resources in the drought-stricken southwest. As water levels in the Colorado River have declined, the states dependent on it (Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming) are increasingly at odds over how to distribute the declining supply. The U.S. is not alone in contentious domestic debate over water supplies. Australian states have constantly quarreled over water rights across the Murray-Darling Basin. Disruptions to water supply or perceived misuse can cause immediate social unrest, and countries like Iran and France have seen violent protests regarding water recently. … ” Read more from the Good Men Project.
The microplastic crisis is getting exponentially worse
“Not even the Arctic Ocean is immune to the incessant growth of microplastic pollution. In a new study that analyzed sediment core samples, researchers quantified how many of the particles have been deposited since the early 1930s. As scientists have shown elsewhere, the team found that microplastic contamination in the Arctic has been growing exponentially and in lockstep with the growth of plastic production—which is now up to a trillion pounds a year, with the global amount of plastic waste projected to triple by 2060. These researchers analyzed the seawater and sediment in the western part of the Arctic Ocean, which makes up 13 percent of its total area. … Overall, the team found that microplastic levels have been doubling in Arctic Ocean sediments every 23 years. That mirrors a previous study of ocean sediments off the coast of Southern California, which found concentrations to be doubling every 15 years. Other researchers have found an exponential rise in contamination in urban lake sediments. … ” Read the full story at Wired.
More news and commentary in the weekend edition …
In California water news this weekend …
C-WIN: Why is the Bureau of Reclamation Driving Salmon to Extinction?- San Francisco’s aging infrastructure isn’t ready for its wetter future
- DWR gets hands-on with thiamine deficiency in spring-run salmon
- Tribes and conservation organizations host rally at California State Capitol
- DWR awards $9.2 million in grants to protect communities from floods, support fish populations and restore streams
- Scripps Oceanography scientist studies toxic algae bloom with plans to create prediction model
- Former contractor employee charged for hacking Discovery Bay water treatment facility
- First dam being removed on Klamath River
- A stubborn species of shrimp could be clouding Lake Tahoe’s crystal-clear waters
- Scientists: Lake Tahoe is regaining legendary clarity
- San Luis Opispo County groundwater supplies are in trouble after years of drought, reports show
- Ventura: Nearly 100,000 property owners sued, must defend water rights
- San Diego County leaders rally against water ‘divorce’ with Fallbrook and Rainbow
- Environmental takeaways from a transformative Supreme Court term
- And more …
Click here for the weekend digest.
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
NOTICE: Public Comment Period Opens for Groundwater Sustainability Plans for basins in Ventura and Santa Barbara County
NOTICE of Water Right Permit Application in Glenn County
