On the calendar today …
- WEBINAR: Addressing Nonpoint Source Pollution through EPA’s National Nonpoint Source Program Webcast from 11:30am to 1:30pm. Join EPA’s Watershed Academy for this webcast to learn more about the national nonpoint source program and the various ways this program helps restore water quality across the United States. Click here to register.
- PUBLIC MEETING: Colorado River post-2026 operating guidelines from 12pm to 1pm. The Bureau of Reclamation is initiating the process to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the development of post-2026 Colorado River reservoir operational guidelines and strategies for Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Several important reservoir and water management decisional documents and agreements that govern operation of Colorado River facilities and management of Colorado River water are currently scheduled to expire at the end of 2026. Reclamation requests that the public submit comments concerning the scope of specific operational guidelines, strategies, and any other issues that should be considered. Register here.
- VIRTUAL PUBLIC MEETING: Decision-Support Frameworks for Climate and Racial Equity in Water Boards Programs from 1:15pm to 4pm. This forum will serve as an opportunity for input on how the Water Boards should prioritize climate action related to our mission. Researchers, advocates, and community organizations will share about tools, experiences, and recommendations that the Water Boards can learn from to address disproportionate climate impacts. Members of the public are invited to listen in, and there will be time for input and questions. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
California Republicans fighting again to raise the Shasta dam. Will state law prevent it?
“The Shasta reservoir, California’s largest, sends water to farmers and families in the Central Valley, where a third of the nation’s produce is grown. It almost reached capacity after years of not filling up. At its peak, Shasta Lake can hold more than 4.5 million acre-feet of water. (An acre-foot is the annual consumption for two average households.) Raising the dam, located on the upper Sacramento River northwest of Redding, to increase Shasta reservoir’s capacity has long been on the list of some federal lawmakers. The 18.5-foot rise would provide 634,000 more acre-feet of water per year, legislators say, and help ensure Central Valley farmers have a steadier and fuller supply. But that assumes there will always be enough precipitation to fill Lake Shasta, which historically has not been the case. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
When will California experience another drought? Experts aren’t entirely sure
“Most of California is in recovery mode after a years-long drought plagued the Golden State from 2020 until 2022, which depleted the state’s reservoirs and groundwater resources. Thanks to the historic wet winter season, many areas, such as Los Angeles, Merced and Alameda countries, are no longer in a drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. … Unlike the five-day forecast, experts can’t accurately predict when the next drought will hit the Golden State, mainly due to research limitations, according to Jeanine Jones, the interstate resources manager at the California Department of Water Resources. “The ability of the science community and NOAA, which predicts the weather, simply isn’t good enough to answer it at this point of time because they haven’t really invested in the research to get there,” Jones said. … ” Read more from KTLA.
Hidden Links between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems: part 1 – Sierra Nevada lakes
“It’s easy to think of aquatic and terrestrial organisms inhabiting entirely separate worlds–they experience distinct biophysical conditions, interact with different ecological communities, and are imperiled by divergent environmental threats. But there are far more ecological connections between land and water than meets the eye. Organisms and organic matter move back and forth between terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and are consumed or die in one or the other, transferring energy and nutrients in a phenomenon known as a trophic subsidy. Subsidies primarily flow from more productive food webs to less productive ones, at times allowing abundant life to exist in otherwise unproductive habitats. Some of these linkages are small and surprising, and others are more profound. Understanding cross-system flows of energy and nutrients is essential for conservation during a time of breakneck environmental change. We start our story with a small lake, clear as glass and cold as ice, nestled among a dark conifer forest and surrounded by towering granite peaks. … ” Read more from the California Water Blog.
Legal brief: EIR for relicensing of Oroville Dam adequately evaluated environmental impacts
“An environmental impact report need not discuss impacts that are too speculative in nature for proper evaluation or assess economic costs not linked to a physical change in the environment. County of Butte v. Dept. of Water Resources, 90 Cal.App.5th 147 (2023). In 2008, three local government entities challenged the California Department of Water Resources’ EIR prepared in connection with the licensure of hydropower activities for the Oroville Dam and have been litigating this issue for the past 15 years. In this latest case, plaintiffs argued that the EIR: (1) failed adequately to consider climate change; (2) failed to properly evaluate economic and public health impacts; (3) wrongly assumed that the Oroville Dam facilities complied with water quality standards; and (4) did not account for potential changes to the State Water Project that could affect the Oroville facilities. … ” Read more from the California Land Use & Development Report.
Extreme weather raises risk for California tomato growers
” … California’s tomato farmers are responsible for more than 95 percent of processed tomatoes in the United States. Of all the tomatoes grown commercially on earth, nearly 30 percent is grown in California. It’s a top agricultural commodity worth about $1.18 billion. When it comes to tomatoes, California’s extreme weather is serving up some big trouble for restaurateurs like the Crotti Family. “A lot of it has to do with the weather. It will be another really rough tomato season,” Crotti’s sister Carmen said. Five years of drought have created a tomato shortage. Last year, an extreme heat wave late in the season shriveled tomatoes on the vine. … ” Read more from CBS News.
Marine Protected Areas along California’s coast see success in first decade
“California’s coastline is among the most diverse ecosystems on the planet and its protection the last 10 years through 124 separately designated areas has made the state a model and envy nationally and internationally. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife recently released its first study following the first decade since the creation of an ecologically connected network of Marine Protected Areas, or MPAs, and the results are promising, especially in Southern California’s Los Angeles and Orange counties, said Stephen Wertz, a senior scientist and manager of the wildlife agency’s Marine Protected Areas Management Project. … ” Read more from the OC Register.
California new oil well approvals have nearly ground to a halt
“California, the seventh-biggest U.S. crude oil producer, has put a near halt on issuing permits for new drilling this year, according to state data. The state’s Geologic Energy Management Division, known as CalGEM, has approved seven new active well permits in 2023. That compares with the more than 200 it had issued by this time last year. The stalled approvals represent the latest tension between California’s bold environmental ambitions and its role as a major oil and gas producer and consumer. … ” Read more from the Reuters.
In commentary today …
CEQA needs to die so California can thrive
Edward Ring, co-founder of the California Policy Center and the author of “The Abundance Choice: Our Fight for More Water in California,” writes, “California needs more homes, and the proposed Tejon Ranch development would deliver new housing for an estimated 57,000 Californians. But after 20 years, builders haven’t nailed even one stick to another – for reasons that reveal almost everything that’s wrong with California. Located along Interstate 5 about 60 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, the development plan has something for everyone. A significant percentage of units are designated for low-income residents. Over 90 percent of the vast private parcel will be permanently set aside as open space. The homes will be “energy neutral,” with hundreds of EV charging stations. Significant funds are pledged for wildlife habitat and preservation of cultural artifacts. But nothing will ever be enough. For more than two decades, developers have tried to build these now desperately needed homes, reaching multiple agreements with an alphabet-soup of environmentalist coalitions. But thanks to yet another lawsuit, a Los Angeles judge ruled in March that the entitlements process will have to start over. … ” Read more from the San Bernardino Sun.
State of Calif. Farming? Plenty of challenges – and opportunities.
William Bourdeau, executive vice president of Harris Farms, director of the Westlands Water District, and chairman of the Valley Future Foundation, writes, “The Golden State, California, is renowned for its robust agricultural industry. However, being the nation’s food basket doesn’t come without challenges. From water scarcity to labor shortages, escalating operational costs to regulatory concerns, California’s farmers face an array of hurdles. Yet, every challenge presents an opportunity for innovation, and nowhere is this more apparent than in farming. This is my attempt to delve into the current state of California’s farming industry, with particular emphasis on the challenges, opportunities, and the exciting role of innovation and agricultural technology (AgTech). Agriculture is not just a sector in California; it’s a way of life that defines the state’s identity. … ” Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun.
Let’s get the resources the Central Valley needs in the Farm Bill
Representative David Valadao writes, “The Central Valley is home to the most diverse and productive agricultural regions in the world. With less than 1% of our country’s farmland, the Central Valley supplies a quarter of our nation’s food. Right now, one of the biggest items on Congress’ to-do list is the Farm Bill, a package of legislation that governs a wide range of agriculture, forestry and nutrition programs, and is typically reauthorized every five years. Legislation that impacts livelihoods throughout the Valley should not be crafted behind closed doors without your input. That’s why I was glad to host Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Penn., and other bipartisan members of the committee at the World Ag Expo in Tulare for a Farm Bill Listening Session this year. This listening session gave Central Valley producers, growers and food banks a unique opportunity to share their priorities for the Farm Bill with the lawmakers directly responsible for drafting it. … ” Read more from the Bakersfield Californian.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
With one down, Klamath dam removal proceeds on schedule
“The first of four hydroelectric dams along the Oregon-California border has been removed from the main stem of the Klamath River. All that remains of the dam known as Copco 2 in Siskiyou County, California, is the headworks of a diversion tunnel adjacent to the now free-flowing river. “As little as a month ago, it was a 35-foot concrete dam that spanned the entire width of the Klamath River right there,” says Mark Bransom, CEO for the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, which is overseeing dam removal. From a nearby overlook of red volcanic rock, an excavator looks like a child’s toy as it chips away at the remnants of the concrete wall that was embedded in the river. … ” Read more from Oregon Public Broadcasting.
How will salmon adapt after Klamath dams removed? Scientists are trying to find out
“The operating theater is simple: sponges; a few instruments; and what looks like a foam yoga block. Rachelle Tallman, a graduate student in wildlife, fish and conservation biology at UC Davis, places a small fish — a juvenile spring Chinook salmon — into the ovoid depression on top of the block. Working quickly but carefully, she uses a scalpel to make a small incision along the fish’s belly, then gently places a lentil-sized object — an acoustic transmitter — into the incision. The effort is part of a collaborative project being led by ODFW to release young Chinook into the upper portion of the Klamath watershed. The fish were brought here from the Trinity River Hatchery in California as fertilized eggs, in 2021. … “What we’re trying to do is mimic a hypothetical out-migration of juvenile spring run Chinook salmon from the tributaries of Upper Klamath Lake,” says Mark Hereford, Klamath Fisheries reintroduction biologist for ODFW. … ” Read the full story at OPB.
Radio: Removal of dams on Klamath River worry some local residents
“People who live around several reservoirs in Siskiyou County are facing an uncertain future. Four dams on the Klamath River will be torn down over the next two years. Now, their lakefront properties will change as reservoirs turn into a free-flowing river again.” Listen at KQED.
Lady of the Lake: Preventing invasive mussel introductions, part one
“Dear Lady of The Lake, I am an avid fisherman and moved to Lake County to enjoy my retirement fishing on Clear Lake. I recently purchased a bass boat and had to purchase a Lake County quagga mussel sticker. I don’t know much about these mussels or what would happen if they got into our lake. Can you provide some information so I can make sure we are doing all we can to protect Clear Lake? Dear Fisherman Frank, Thanks for this very important and timely question. This is a question I get asked about quite frequently, and I am glad to be able to “dive” into this topic in breadth. Since this topic is so important, I will be writing about it in two columns. In part 1, we will discuss the origins of invasive mussels, how they came to the United States and what it would mean for Clear Lake should an invasive mussels become introduced or established in the Lake, or any Lake County water bodies. … ” Continue reading from the Lake County News.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
How deep are Lake Shasta and these 6 other popular North State waterways?
“After a wet winter and heavy snowmelt, North State lakes are brimming. But how far down does that water go before you hit bottom? Reporting lake depth is tricky, according to Stewart Denham at the U.S. Forest Service’s Shasta Lake Ranger Station #58. Depths are “a moving target. Just as the shoreline changes due to slides, the depth can change due to many things.” That could explain why reliable information about the depths to which most North State lakes go isn’t easily available online, or contradicts itself, forest and recreation officials said. … ” Read more from the Redding Record-Searchlight.
Editorial: Who do you trust with our water?
The Chico Enterprise-Record editorial board writes, “It’s easy to take water for granted. Turn on the faucet — out it comes. We’re right up here at the source for the state water project, so we get a lot of rain in wet years and don’t get hit as hard as the south in drought years. Really, it’s more of a case of out of sight, out of mind. Much of the north state relies on groundwater, from underground aquifers, rather than surface water in lakes and rivers. Unless you have a well, you probably have no idea whether levels are high or low. Even then, you might not know unless your well runs dry. Until 2014, California only regulated surface water. That changed after aquifers in the Central Valley collapsed from overpumping. The Legislature passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, or SGMA, to prevent people and agencies from tapping too much water and repeating these collapses. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
‘Good to see it.’ Friant Dam releasing water from Millerton Lake into San Joaquin River
“Motorists traveling to Table Mountain Casino or Millerton Lake may have noticed something unusual going on at the Friant Dam. Water flowing over the dam and into the San Joaquin River thanks to an abundance of snow in the Sierra Nevada after a series of storms this past winter. Jonolyn Winton of Fresno said she received pictures from her son and daughter-in-law while they were driving to Table Mountain. She was amazed by what she saw. She figured she wanted to get a first-hand look at the spill over at the dam while en route to Huntington Lake. Winson wasn’t disappointed. … ” Read more from the Fresno Bee. | Read via Yahoo News.
Ghost town disappears as California lake fills for first time in years
“A Wild West ghost town has submerged back into the deep as California’s once-dry Lake Isabella fills up for the first time in years. Until recently, the lake in the southern Sierra Nevada foothills in Central California was emblematic of California’s drought. In September, it was at 8% capacity, revealing the town of Whiskey Flat. Whiskey Flat was founded in the 1860s as the Gold Rush was tapering off. A nearby mine — Whiskey Flat is about 35 miles from Bakersfield — was in operation until the 1940s and yielded millions in gold. A new type of California gold rush came to town next: Hollywood. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
Oil well project would commercialize gravity energy storage
“Kern County oil fields look more and more like a viable place for storing renewable energy to help balance the state power grid. Bakersfield startup Renewell Energy is working on its first commercial system using renewably powered winches to lift weights from near the bottom of oil wells. Later, after the sun goes down and wind stops, lowering the weights will run a generator that feeds the grid. It’s at least the second technology proposed for repurposing local oil fields to cover gaps in the availability of solar and wind power. Another Bakersfield company, Premier Resource Management LLC, hopes to turn depleted oil reservoirs into synthetic geothermal storage. … ” Read more from the Bakersfield Californian.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Whether rain or a leaky pipe, water is the likely culprit in Rolling Hills Estates landslide
“Residents won’t know what triggered the landslide that destroyed 12 homes in Rolling Hills Estates until a geological engineering firm completes a probe slated to begin this week. But while there’s no clear smoking gun, as of yet, history — and the natural geology of the Palos Verdes Peninsula — all point to one leading suspect: water. Whether from heavy rainfall, or an undiscovered leaky pipe, almost all of the landslides on the Palos Verdes Peninsula have been caused by water weakening the clay layers weaving through the region’s bedrock, says El Hachemi Bouali, an assistant professor of geosciences at Nevada State University. “This weak clay is widespread across the entire Peninsula,” said Bouali, who along with two others published a research paper in 2019 that used radar and GPS to expand maps tracking subsurface instability in the area. … ” Read more from the Daily Breeze.
Chino: Not enough protest ballots received to fight increases
“After spending all day tabulating protest ballots, consultant Scott Koppel of Koppel & Gruber announced to the Chino Hills City Council on Tuesday that 6,312 ballots were submitted, but not enough to defeat the sewer rate increases. “You needed 11,360 for a majority protest,” Mr. Koppel said. Wastewater treatment rates will go up between $26 and $28 over the next five years. Habib Isaac of IB Consulting told the city that sewer rates have not gone up in 20 years, which will result in an operating deficit. Mr. Isaac said the city’s rates have not kept up with capital repairs, improvements, operations, and maintenance. … ” Read more from the Chino Champion.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
As the Salton Sea shrinks, agriculture’s legacy turns to dust
” … The Salton Sea is a complicated, dynamic ecosystem on the decline. At 223 feet below sea level, it has filled with water and dried many times over the centuries. In 1905, Colorado River floodwaters breached an irrigation canal and filled the depression with water. Since then, the sea has served as the dumping ground for decades of pollution from farming as well as legacy bomb-testing material. In 2002, U.S. Geological Survey conducted sediment sampling from 73 locations and concluded that “the agricultural runoff that keeps the sea alive is loaded with salts, pesticides, selenium, and other metals.” But a drought and reduced agricultural runoff have helped to shrink the shallow sea in the last two decades. Over that time, only a handful of smaller-scale research projects have attempted to document current sediment contaminants on what is now almost 20,000 acres of exposed playa that is adding dust to the region’s already poor air quality. … ” Continue reading at Civil Eats.
SAN DIEGO
Column: Poll says San Diegans slightly less concerned about extreme weather than rest of state
Columnist Michael Smolens writes, “Residents of San Diego and Orange counties say they are less affected by extreme weather than other parts of the state. Still, a strong majority says extreme weather is a big problem or somewhat of a problem for the region. People in the two counties also have less confidence than residents elsewhere in government’s ability to respond to weather-related problems. But San Diego and Orange counties’ residents are right up there with the rest of the state in the belief that climate change contributed to recent harsh weather — from drought to flood-generating storms to heat waves. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Along the Colorado River …
Freeing up Colorado River water from California farms will take more than just money, just ask the farmers
“Under the broiling hot sun of California’s Imperial Valley, a canal cuts the land in two. On one side, gravelly beige sand is dotted with scrub and shimmering waves of heat blur the mountains in the distance. On the other, sprawling fields of crops blanket the valley floor in a mat of bright green squares. Here, plentiful sun and high temperatures create a near year-round growing season. Farms sit atop the silty soils of an ancient river delta. And for at least the last hundred years, a steady supply of fresh water from the Colorado River has turned the valley from a baking desert into an agricultural oasis. “It really is an emerald gem that we have,” said John Hawk, whose family has been growing crops in the Imperial Valley since the early 1900s. “With the water, we can do miracles.” … ” Read more from KUNC.
Las Vegas water use down 25% this year, but a hot summer looms
“A wet and cool start to 2023 helped Southern Nevada consume 25 percent less water from the drought-stricken Colorado River through the first five months of the year. From January through May, the region’s consumptive use from the river was just under 61,000 acre-feet of water, Warren Turkett, a natural resource analyst for the Colorado River Commission of Nevada, told commissioners Tuesday. That’s down from nearly 82,000 acre-feet of water consumed during the same period last year, which was near the same amount the valley consumed in 2021 (84,489 acre-feet) and 2020 (80,885 acre-feet). … ” Read more from the Las Vegas Review Journal.
The difficult choices regarding who gets water in Arizona
“Arizona recently announced new constraints on housing development in the areas around Phoenix. At issue is water rights and scarcity, which have been a challenge for the US Southwest for as long as people have been living there. That being said, the region is currently in the midst of a 25-year megadrought and when you combine that with booming growth, difficult choices may have to be made. But how do water rights get divided? Who holds them? How much is water worth to the housing developers, farmers and semiconductor manufacturers that have flocked to the state? To learn more, we speak with Kathryn Sorensen, director of research at the Kyl Center for Water Policy at the Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University. We discuss both current and past water management practices in the state. … ” Read or listen at Bloomberg (gift article).
How a Saudi firm tapped a gusher of water in drought-stricken Arizona
“A megadrought has seared Arizona, stressing its rivers and reservoirs and reducing water to a trickle in the homes of farmworkers near this desert valley. But green fields of alfalfa stretch across thousands of acres of the desert land, shimmering in the burning sunlight. Wells draw water from deep underground, turning the parched earth into verdant farmland. For nearly a decade, the state of Arizona has leased this rural terrain west of Phoenix to a Saudi-owned company, allowing it to pump all the water it needs to grow the alfalfa hay — a crop it exports to feed the kingdom’s dairy cows. And, for years, the state did not know how much water the company was consuming. The lack of information was a choice. … ” Read more from the Washington Post.
Wide array of proposals submitted to alter Arizona groundwater rules
“At least 40 proposals that would make it easier or harder for developers and water users to prove the existence of an assured 100-year water supply confronts a state advisory committee representing a wide array of interests. Some proposals would at least slightly open the doors to development in areas near Phoenix that were recently closed. The state’s action last month to limit new growth supported by groundwater there was accompanied by the release of a computer model report finding that the entire area faces a shortfall in groundwater supplies compared to demand over the next century. Other proposals would tighten the reins on development based on groundwater use, out of concern the state’s new limits may not prove adequate. … ” Read more from the Arizona Daily Star.
Study: Archaeological sites in Grand Canyon eroding due to dam operations
“A recent survey of 362 archaeological sites along the Colorado River through Grand Canyon shows most of them are eroding due to the influence of Glen Canyon Dam. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports. Stone dwellings, roasting pits, and other culturally significant sites in the Grand Canyon are protected by windblown river sand. But when Glen Canyon Dam was built six decades ago, it trapped the sediment, leaving the sites exposed to erosion. Joel Sankey of the U.S. Geological Survey is the study’s lead author. “Back in 1973 there were 98 sites that we thought of as belonging to the best-case scenario condition, having that potential to be preserved in place by that windblown river sand,” he says. “Today there’s actually only 4 of those sites that we consider to be in a best-case scenario.” … ” Read more from KNAU.
Navajo president presses Congress for more time, money, for water project
“Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren asked senators Wednesday for more funding, and time, for a pipeline project that would create a reliable water supply for 250,000 people across Arizona and New Mexico. The project would deliver 37,767 acre-feet of water annually from the San Juan River basin through 300 miles of pipeline to 43 Navajo chapters, the city of Gallup, New Mexico, as well as the Teepee Junction area of the Jicarilla Apache Nation. “This project not only benefits Navajo people, but it benefits the local communities like Gallup and the areas in western New Mexico. It benefits a lot of people, and the water is highly needed,” Nygren said before a hearing of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. … ” Read more from Arizona Public Media.
Water Wars: The Southwest’s procrastination comes home to roost
“More than 60 years have passed since the Denver Water Board evicted the 800-plus residents of this former gold rush community and inundated the town they called home. Today, the Dillon Reservoir provides much of the water consumed by fast-growing Denver, some 68 miles to the east, and while few residents have living memories of the day Dillon was drowned beneath 220 feet of water, there is still resentment in the air. “We’ve had a few lead scares in our local drinking water here, and that water doesn’t even come from our own reservoir,” said Marna Fletcher, a longtime resident, pointing out over the pristine 3,233-acre body of water that sits where her parents grew up. “They send all of Lake Dillon’s water to the city. We don’t get none of it.” … ” Read more from The Breakthrough Institute.
In national water news today …
NACWA warns against proposed ‘radical spending cuts’ to SRFs in FY24
“The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) expressed deep concern last week about the potential for Congress to move forward on massive spending cuts being proposed for the Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs. These programs had been previously designated for expansion in FY24 to $3 billion apiece through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. But now, the House Appropriations Committee is proposing cutting water funding by more than half in its Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Spending Bill. … ”
More news in the weekend edition …
In California water news this weekend …
When El Niño exacerbates global warming: Record heat, record flooding, record wildfires- ‘We are not prepared’: Disasters spread as climate change strikes
- State Water Board extends deadline for protest period for proposed Sites Reservoir to Aug. 31
- Desalinated ocean water for green hydrogen production
- A crucial part of the San Andreas Fault has been disturbingly quiet for too long
- Changes coming to prevent misuse and abuse of Tahoe beaches
- Arizona bans natural grass in future homes due to drought
- And more …
Click here for the weekend digest.
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
WORKBOOK NOW AVAILABLE: Adapting to Weather Extremes: How the State Can Prepare for Drought in a Non-Drought Year
