On the calendar today …
- PUBLIC WORKSHOP: California Water Plan Update 2023 – Recycled Water RMS from 10am to 12pm. The California Water Plan describes and updates a broad set of resource management strategies (RMSs) that help local agencies and governments manage their water and related resources. Every RMS can be a technique, program, or policy that can be used to meet water-related management needs of a region and the state as a whole. During this workshop, the Water Plan Team will gather comments on the draft Recycled Water RMS. Join Teams Meeting
- IN-PERSON WORKSHOP: Nonstructural Flood Risk Mitigation Workshop for San Joaquin Policy Makers from 10:30am to 12:30pm in Modesto. Join our professional workshop for valuable insights! Get updates on weather outlooks, learn about nonstructural flood solutions, explore a habitat restoration case study, discuss funding opportunities, and engage in open Q&A with our panel of experts. Click here to register.
- VIRTUAL WORKSHOP: California Water Commission: Preparing for Drought in a Non-Drought Year beginning at 2pm. You are invited to a California Water Commission workshop to explore ways that the State can adapt to the changing hydrology and ongoing weather extremes. Following three years of severe drought, California experienced a winter of extreme wet weather this year. Being able to endure the next severe drought is dependent upon making smart, preemptive water management decisions during non-drought years. In support of Action 26.3 in California’s Water Resilience Portfolio, the Commission is developing proposed strategies to protect communities and fish and wildlife during drought. At the workshops, the Commission will gather information regarding the impacts of drought on communities and species and will discuss drought strategies. The public is encouraged to share their ideas and opinions. The Commission hopes to hear from a diverse set of participants. Click here to register.
Today’s featured articles …
FEATURE: Moving beyond crisis management for winter-run chinook
Two years ago, California’s winter-run chinook were dealt a devastating blow. These endangered salmon were already struggling to survive, with as few as one thousand adults returning from the ocean to spawn in recent years.
Then, in 2021, a sizzling summer on top of a severe drought killed three quarters of the eggs the fish laid in the Sacramento River near Redding, their last remaining spawning grounds. Now, a new plan to help protect winter-run chinook eggs is in the works.
Named for the season they swim upstream, winter-run chinook wait as late as August to spawn. Summer temperatures in the Central Valley regularly soar above 100 ⁰F, making it a challenge to provide the cold water that salmon eggs require. During the summer of 2021, there simply wasn’t enough cold water left in Shasta Lake to keep the river below the 53.6 ⁰F limit required to protect their eggs.
Click here to read this article.
How well-managed dams and smart forecasting can limit flooding as extreme storms become more common in a warming world
By Riley Post, University of Iowa, The Conversation
The arduous task of cleaning up from catastrophic flooding is underway across the Northeast after storms stretched the region’s flood control systems nearly to the breaking point.
As rising global temperatures make extreme storms more common, the nation’s dams and reservoirs – crucial to keeping communities dry – are being tested. California and states along the Mississippi River have faced similar flood control challenges in 2023. Managing these flood control systems is a careful balancing act. Do managers release water to make room for the storm’s runoff, increasing the risk of flooding downstream, or hold as much as possible to protect downstream farms and communities, which could increase the chance of larger floods if another storm comes through?
The earlier decisions can be made, the better the chance of avoiding downstream damage. But forecasts aren’t always reliable, and waiting for the rain to fall may mean acting too late.I managed flood control reservoirs in Iowa and locks and dams along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers for a decade, and I now research the operation of large systems of reservoirs for flood control at the University of Iowa’s Iowa Flood Center. Here’s what reservoir managers think about during storms, and how efforts to improve forecasting may soon be able to reduce flood damage.
In California water news today …
Where in the world is El Niño? What the stall means for weather, water and more
“El Niño replaced La Niña a few months ago, but has since stalled out. ABC10 meteorologist looks at why this happened, and what it means for California going forward.” Watch video below.
How does California measure its water supply?
“There’s an old saying in mountain towns that there’s nothing better than the first snow of the season and nothing more unwelcome than the last snow of the 2022-23 season. Like a distant relative coming to visit, this past winter showed up early and stayed late, but family is family. Similarly, the love runs deep for Jason Rolfe in South Lake Tahoe. He grew up in the area, left for work and school, and couldn’t wait to come back to play in the snow knowing it’s ground zero for the water the state needs to function. “We do appreciate that we are the ones holding the snow for the rest of California. You know, the rivers, the fishing, the lakes, helping with the drought. It really does roll downhill and it helps everybody else out. We’re happy to be the stewards of the snow until you’re ready for it,” Rolfe said. … ” Read more from Channel 10.
Cities’ thirst nearly killed these California lakes. Not so fast, said our epic wet winter
“They’re back! Arising out of their dusty/muddy/sandy graves, the zombie lakes of California are reclaiming their own. For geologic ages, they have lain there, undead — well, often drought-dry, and not their original saturated selves. But now the monumental rains of this winter and spring filled them and then some, reminding us of California’s paleo-hydrology, our ancient lakes and waterways. The Mojave Desert was in eons past a kind of Lake District, with once-splendid bodies of water later named Manly, Searles, Panamint, Tecopa, Manix.Basically, the California of multiple thousands and millions of years ago was a-slosh with glacial leavings, lakes and rivers. And with our epochal rains, some of these old bodies have risen to assert themselves again, which sounds like something out of H.P. Lovecraft. … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via Yahoo News.
Hidden issues: Wells, groundwater & flooding
Chris Johnson, a certified Hydrogeologist and owner of Aegis Groundwater Consulting, writes, “Snow fell in the mountains last fall and this spring, like it has not fallen in many years. So much has fallen that some pundits say there are feet of water still present in all that snow, which has still to melt, and then move under the relentless pull of gravity into the Central Valley. Our world has done much to capture, tame and utilize the snowmelt from the mountains. We have also built our world assuming that we can control this meltwater and tame it to our needs. In most instances, this is a correct belief. However, there are those times when our control is challenged. This is the case for the winter of 2022, and the spring of 2023. The historically ephemeral Tulare Lake has risen again, thanks to unprecedented quantities of snowmelt arriving on the Valley floor as floodwater. … ” Read more from Water Wrights.
DWR awards $17 million in LandFlex grants to protect drinking water supplies
“Moving to help preserve groundwater supplies for Central Valley communities, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) has awarded nearly $17 million to three groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) through the LandFlex Program. The awarded funding will be available to local growers to transition to sustainable groundwater use and protect drinking water supplies for vulnerable communities. LandFlex was launched earlier this year with a total of $25 million in grants awarded to GSAs to work directly with interested growers to temporarily idle agricultural lands to provide immediate benefits for vulnerable domestic wells. The funding also can be used to help permanently eliminate groundwater overpumping on each enrolled acre of land. GSAs that received grant awards earlier this year were unable to utilize all the funding, so DWR is now awarding a second phase of grants with the unused funds. Due to the significant rainfall this year, all growers enrolled in LandFlex will also have the opportunity to use their lands for groundwater recharge in lieu of planting crops that cover the soil. … ” Read more from DWR.
DWR: How the Delta Conveyance Project would make California’s water supply more resilient against earthquakes
“According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), there is a 72 percent chance of a 6.7 or greater magnitude earthquake occurring in the Bay Area by 2043 that could cause levees in the Delta to fail. This could result in significant amounts of saltwater being drawn into the Delta region, raising salinity levels and crippling the state’s ability to deliver fresh water because of the location of the State Water Project’s (SWP) only diversion in the Delta. Of the over 1,100 miles of Delta levees, many are not in a condition to withstand significant shaking. An earthquake could cause a possible outage in water supply delivery lasting anywhere from several months to several years to perform necessary levee repairs and restore salinity levels to where the SWP could resume normal operations. Cessation of SWP operations of this magnitude would have catastrophic social and economic effects, including a loss of water necessary for public health and safety. The Department of Water Resources (DWR) has a responsibility to safeguard California’s main water supply against the potentially catastrophic disruption of water deliveries from a major earthquake. … ” Read more from the Department of Water Resources.
A fall feast: Delta smelt prey shown to increase with flow augmentation
“Estuaries are dynamic, productive ecosystems, with freshwater flow from rivers and salty input from the ocean continuously blended into a brackish soup by the push and pull of the tides., However, as humans have increasingly plumbed watersheds for the purposes of water storage, hydropower, and flood control, the dynamics of estuaries have shifted dramatically. This is particularly true in the San Francisco Estuary, which is fed by a watershed covering nearly 40% of California. Changes in freshwater flows resulting from dams and water withdrawal have significantly impacted this estuary and the species that rely on it, including those that occur nowhere else in the world like the threatened delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus). Current management efforts to conserve this species include fall flow augmentations, which involve adjustments to reservoir releases or water exports to increase the amount of freshwater that reaches the estuary. The increase in flow results in more low-salinity habitat available to delta smelt. … ” Continue reading at FishBio.
California aims to tap beavers, once viewed as a nuisance, to help with water issues and wildfires
“For years, beavers have been treated as an annoyance for chewing down trees and shrubs and blocking up streams, leading to flooding in neighborhoods and farms. But the animal is increasingly being seen as nature’s helper in the midst of climate change. California recently changed its tune and is embracing the animals that can create lush habitats that lure species back into now-urban areas, enhance groundwater supplies and buffer against the threat of wildfires. A new policy that went into effect last month encourages landowners and agencies dealing with beaver damage to seek solutions such as putting flow devices in streams or protective wrap on trees before seeking permission from the state to kill the animals. The state is also running pilot projects to relocate beavers to places where they can be more beneficial. … ” Read more from the Associated Press.
These 4 invasive species threaten California water systems — and populations may be rising
“There’s a possible rise of invasive animals in California, as the state continues to face consequences from downpours that plagued the state last winter and spring. The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services issued an announcement Friday about a potential surge in invasive species due to storm-related flooding. Invasive species, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are animals and other living organisms that are thriving in areas where they don’t naturally live. These species can cause harm to humans, the economy or the environment. This includes degrading or displacing current habitats, competing with native wildlife or threatening biodiversity. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
Report: California ignoring carbon sink benefits of local habitats
“California’s native habitats can be used as valuable carbon sinks to help combat the climate crisis, according to a report released Monday by the Center for Biological Diversity. In the report Hidden in Plain Sight, the center finds the carbon-storing benefits of trees and forests in California are often recognized by developers and policymakers, but the benefits of other habitats in the state, such as shrublands, grasslands, deserts and riparian corridors, are often overlooked even though they can function as important carbon sinks. Carbon sinks absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, reducing its presence in the air. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses can act as a blanket on the planet, trapping heat and worsening heat waves. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
State Farm Bureau research foundation funds wetlands grazing research project
“California Bountiful Foundation, the nonprofit research organization of California Farm Bureau, has awarded a $520,000 grant to support cattle grazing research being conducted by California Polytechnic State University, Humboldt. Grant funds were provided to California Bountiful Foundation by the California Department of Transportation as part of an agreement settling litigation involving the Willits Bypass project on U.S. Highway 101. The study, led by Dr. Justin Luong, a Humboldt professor of rangeland resource science, aims to determine if wetlands benefit from grazing activities. It will also evaluate their impacts and determine a set of best management practices for grazing on wetlands. … ” Read more from the Appeal Democrat.
Punjabi American growers seek Almond Board reform
“In a letter sent to the Almond Board of California (ABC), the Punjabi American Growers Group (PAGG) highlights several industry concerns. The group points out almond growers’ struggles, which PAGG asserts could be remedied in some fashion by action taken by ABC. PAGG is seeking regulatory and policy reforms to address the challenges that industry members are facing. Speaking on behalf of the 235 signatories of the letter, Ameet Sharma says ABC needs to “reallocate resources” and refocus on “building long-term demand for almonds.” A considerable amount of ABC resources is committed to market development. ABC President and CEO Richard Waycott explained that one of the key priorities has always been driving global demand. “Over 80% of ABC’s annual budget is directly or indirectly invested in demand creation activities,” said Waycott. … ” Read more from Ag Net West.
Climate resilience expert Letitia Grenier to lead the PPIC Water Policy Center
“We are thrilled to announce that senior scientist and climate resilience expert Letitia Grenier will join PPIC as the next director of the Water Policy Center. Letitia is currently the Resilient Landscapes Program director at the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI). She will assume her new role on September 25, 2023. Grenier brings a wealth of expertise to the organization, as well as a deep commitment to finding collaborative solutions to California’s most pressing water issues. At SFEI, Grenier has led rigorous, independent scientific research that aims to help decision makers improve management of California’s natural resources. … “I’m honored to further the PPIC Water Policy Center’s mission, and excited to continue fostering dialogue among diverse stakeholders to collaboratively address problems and generate novel solutions,” said Grenier. “This is the only way we are going to tackle the many challenges California faces.” … ” Read more from the PPIC.
California lawmakers want to borrow billions in 2024. Here’s how they plan to spend it
“Housing for homeless residents living with mental illness. Defenses against wildfires, droughts and floods. New and renovated school campuses. Treatment centers for fentanyl users. California voters can expect to be asked to approve billions of dollars in bonds in 2024 to help the state address a myriad of pressing issues. Lawmakers in Sacramento have proposed about a dozen bond measures that they want on ballots in March or November of next year. They include a $4.7 billion ask for up to 10,000 new behavioral health beds, $15 billion to make the state more resilient to climate change, $14 billion to modernize school facilities, and $10 billion for affordable housing construction. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
California looks into the future — and sees fewer Californians
“More than a century of long-term population growth in California could be over, according to new projections that show the state will have about the same number of people in 2060 as it does now. The forecast released this week from the California Department of Finance is sobering news for the country’s most populous state, which saw its first-ever population decline in 2020 amid an exodus driven by the pandemic and high housing costs. Lower birth rates and aging baby boomers will add to the demographic drag over the coming decades. The department predicts that there’ll be 39.5 million people in the state by 2060. Just three years ago, forecasters were expecting the number to be 45 million — and a decade ago, the population was seen surging to almost 53 million. … ” Read more from BNN Bloomberg.
Unusually hot August predicted for US West
“Although the West is still enjoying the effects of an exceptionally wet winter, climate experts say that extreme heat waves will continue chipping away at the benefits. Just 9.5% of California and Nevada remained in drought on July 20, compared to 99% at the beginning of the water year in October 2022. Drought conditions persist in areas that did not receive this past winter’s deluge, including parts of southeastern California and southern Nevada. As the great snowpack melts, drought conditions continue to improve all around, according to climate researcher Julie Kalansky, deputy director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
“Biblical” plague of grasshoppers reveals unintended consequences of a de-watered landscape
“For several weeks now, as the morning cool turns to the heat of the day, vast swarms of voracious grasshoppers have been pouring out of the dry, largely barren Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge into the surrounding irrigated farm fields around Merrill and Tulelake. Concerns are growing that crop damage could extend into the millions of dollars. “I have never seen anything like it,” said lifelong Tulelake farmer John Crawford. “They fly over my house at the base of Sheepy Ridge each morning and descend on our fields. They are all coming from the dry portions of the refuge.” … Grasshoppers probably benefitted from the vegetation that grew from all the water, along with the warm spells observed in May, June, and now July, but that doesn’t explain the level of infestation being observed this year. … ” Read more from Klamath Falls News.
Fortuna stormwater project to be completed in August
“Motorists are currently experiencing some minor inconvenience from the City of Fortuna’s 12th Street stormwater project, but the plan is to have most of the work complete by the time Fortuna Union High School starts the upcoming academic year on August 7. That’s the word from Fortuna Public Works Director Brendan Byrd. The approximately $1 million project is funded by a grant from Proposition 1, the Water Quality Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, with a 10% local match of approximately $105,000 Measure E dollars. “The project includes rain gardens up and down 12th Street from Loni Drive to K Street,” Byrd said, “and a big rain garden feature on the Fortuna Union High School parking lot.” … ” Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Lake Tahoe’s clear water is brimming with tiny plastics
“Despite its waters being the clearest they’ve been in 40 years, Lake Tahoe is brimming with microplastics, according to a new paper published this month in the journal Nature. The alpine lake, which straddles the border between Nevada and California, contains the third-highest amount of microplastics among 38 freshwater reservoirs and lakes around the globe, the researchers found. Lake Tahoe is so full of microplastics that their concentration in its waters—5.4 plastic particles per cubic meter—is greater than the concentrations measured near some of the huge garbage patches swirling in the world’s oceans. Only two other lakes analyzed in the study had higher concentrations of microplastics: Lake Maggiore and Lake Lugano, which are located next to each other along the border of Italy and Switzerland. … ” Read more from Smithsonian Magazine.
Work along Tahoe power lines will continue
“Throughout the coming months, NV Energy and partnering agencies will continue to implement measures to reduce wildfire and natural disaster risk throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin as part of the Natural Disaster Protection Plan. “This work is crucial in improving the safety and resiliency of our power system that serves the Lake Tahoe Basin, while at the same time improving forest health and being respectful of the sensitive ecosystem and environment the Tahoe area has to offer,” said NV Energy Vice President of Energy Delivery and Natural Disaster Protection Jesse Murray. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
CENTRAL COAST
Goleta water moratorium may end as city looks to rezone for lower-income housing
“The Goleta City Council faced a dilemma on Thursday evening that was leavened by a letter from the Goleta Water District stating that the moratorium on new water hookups was likely to end this year. In a joint meeting with the city’s Planning Commission, the council was examining where to add zoning for apartment buildings within existing neighborhoods and along the Hollister Avenue viewshed. With 17 sites up for debate by the councilmembers, commissioners, landowners, and members of the public attending the workshop, at 11 p.m. the meeting was continued to Tuesday, July 25, at 5:30 p.m. The possibility of an end to the nine-year water moratorium in Goleta is spurring developer interest, according to city staff. … ” Read more from the Santa Barbara Independent.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Westlands touts boosted groundwater storage, courtesy of new grant
“Westlands Water District is able to keep over 2,400 acre-feet of groundwater in the aquifer of the Westside Subbasin because of a state grant. The water district announced Monday that eight farms were awarded LandFlex grants, facilitating the district’s ability to save more groundwater by retiring land. The backstory: California’s LandFlex program incentivizes growers to permanently reduce pressure on aquifers and transition to sustainable farming practices. … ” Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun.
Tehachapi: Water district sets annual assessments
“Having too much water is less stressful than not having enough water. That was the word from General Manager Tom Neisler at the July 19 meeting of the Board of Directors of Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District. “As summer settles in, we continue to strive to provide excellent service at maximum capacity,” he said of the district’s water importation system. “Demand is approaching its peak and the lake level is dropping accordingly, We continue to operate recharge facilities, albeit on a more limited basis.” … ” Read more from the Tehachapi News.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
What is an RCD?
“Many recognize the name EKCRCD (Eastern Kern County Resource Conservation District) from their annual drought tolerant plant – sale, but are still left wondering what is an RCD? In response to the Dust Bowl that began in 1931, in 1932 RCDs began as the Soil Erosion Service (SES), a temporary program in the Department of the Interior. But the Dust Bowl dragged on, reaching its apex on “Black Sunday,” April 14, 1935, which gave new urgency to the creation of a permanent federal agency dedicated to the prevention and mitigation of soil erosion. In 1935 the Soil Conservation Act was passed, and the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) was created in the Department of Agriculture. In 1939 regular rains returned to the Southern Plains, officially ending the Dust Bowl. However, the economies in areas where the soil had lost its fertility did not fully recover until well into the 1950s. … ” Continue reading at the Mojave Desert News.
Hahn proposes motion to investigate PFAS in L.A. County water
“The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will be presented with a motion on Tuesday that calls for further investigation of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the county’s drinking water. The motion calls for the the L.A. County Department of Public Health and the L.A. County Department of Public Works to work with the State Water Resources Control Board to better understand the presence of PFAS in drinking water, enhance testing and advocate for funding and stronger regulations. The motion will be proposed by 4th District Supervisor Janice Hahn, who said in a news release that she wanted to take on this issue after learning of a study on PFAS that said 45% of drinking water in the nation contains them and that exposure to them may be more common in Southern California. … ” Read more from The Signal.
Corps joins Eastern Municipal Water District to reaffirm partnership, chart path forward
“A team with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District met with Eastern Municipal Water District officials July 7 at their facility in Perris to reaffirm their partnership and formally recognize the next phase of project implementation for the South Perris Desalination Program. Col. Julie Balten, LA District commander, joined Joe Mouawad, EMWD general manager, for a ceremonial signing of a Project Partnership Agreement, an update on recent project developments and a tour of the new Perris II Desalter. The Perris II Desalter, which uses reverse osmosis to remove salts from the groundwater in the Perris and Menifee areas in Riverside County, is the third such facility that the EMWD operates. Since its June 2022 commissioning, it has increased capacity by 5.4 million gallons of useable water per day to help ensure basic human health and safety. … ” Read more from the Army Corps of Engineers.
SAN DIEGO
Flush with creativity: San Diego’s sewage system is covered in public art
“San Diego is home to a world-class public art scene. Throughout the city you’ll find colorful murals stretching across entire buildings and soaring sculptures celebrating the city’s heritage. You’ll also find public art sprinkled along the bowels of “America’s Finest City” — from public bathrooms to pump stations to sewage treatment plants. “We may be dealing with shit, but somebody can look at this and find something beautiful in it,” said artist Richard Turner, whose work appears on five wastewater treatment plants in California, including two in San Diego. … ” Read more from KPBS.
Award-winning Hauck Mesa Storage Reservoir Project
“The award-winning Hauck Mesa Storage Reservoir enhances drinking water supply reliability and operational efficiency for the region. Construction was completed June 23 on the San Diego County Water Authority project in North San Diego County. Work started in March 2021 with the demolition of an out-of-service steel tank. Project work included construction of an underground isolation vault and flow control facility, in addition to a new 2.1 million-gallon water tank connected to the Valley Center Pipeline.Operational flexibility is increased at Hauck Mesa by balancing the flow of treated water between the agency’s First and Second Aqueducts and by helping to maintain water deliveries if power supplies are interrupted. The new storage reservoir enhances the Water Authority’s ability to provide reliable and efficient deliveries of treated water to member agencies. … ” Read more from the Water News Network.
Along the Colorado River …
Colorado River Basin has lost water equal to Lake Mead due to climate change
“From 2000 to 2021, climate change caused the loss of more than 40 trillion liters (10 trillion gallons) of water in the Colorado River Basin — about equal to the entire storage capacity of Lake Mead — according to a new study that modeled humans’ impact on hydrology in the region. Without climate change, the drought in the basin most likely would not have reduced reservoir levels in 2021 to the point requiring supply cuts under the first-ever federally declared water shortage, according to the study, which was published in the AGU journal Water Resources Research, which publishes original research on the movement and management of Earth’s water. … ” Read more from AGU.
These cities coordinate to save water, a model for parched Western areas
“There are no lush green lawns among the rows of single-family homes that line a quiet boulevard a mile west of the University of Arizona campus. Instead, small lizards scurry across gravel to the shade of cacti, shrubs and trees native to the Southwestern desert, as cicadas drone and backyard chickens cluck in the triple-digit heat now common here in July. In the middle of the road, the curbs of a roundabout have been cut to allow water from the summer monsoons to flow into the public landscaping in the roundabout’s center circle and soak the soil, replenish native plants and trickle underground. This city in the Sonoran Desert, which relies heavily on Colorado River water, will depend more and more on robust water reuse — including from stormwater — as climate change worsens. Tucson’s 4-year-old Storm to Shade program builds urban infrastructure to divert stormwater from parking lots, streets and rooftops, then captures it to grow trees and native vegetation in public parks, traffic circles and other public spaces, creating shade and natural habitats and allowing the 11 inches of annual rainwater to seep back into the ground. … ” Read more from Stateline via Maven’s Notebook.
Coconino County looks at flooding in Government Tank watershed, residents face liability questions
“As Coconino County and construction crews put the final touches on flood mitigation infrastructure in Wupatki Trails, new attention is being drawn toward the Government Tank watershed to the south. The county flood district on Thursday hosted a meeting with residents of areas within that watershed, namely those on Switchback Trail and East Heppel Drive. The area has been impacted significantly by post-fire flooding in the wake of 2022’s Pipeline Fire, seeing some of the highest volumes of water coming off of the burn scar. But Thursday’s meeting was contentious at times. Some residents expressed frustration with the county over how it has handled the flooding in the area so far. … ” Read more from the Arizona Daily Sun.
Bringing the Colorado River to Mesa: New 10.5-mile water pipeline under construction
“The ongoing and historic drought has many Valley cities declaring water shortages. In Mesa, the city is in stage one of its water shortage management plan. While they’re reducing water usage citywide, Mesa is also spending millions to boost its water infrastructure. Construction started on a 10.5-mile pipeline on Monday. The plan is to build out the Central Mesa Reuse Pipeline and it begins at Greenfield and Southern. The project is building a pipe to connect to an existing system that already delivers recycled water to the Gila River Indian Community. It’s all a part of an exchange agreement between Mesa and Gila River that dates back 15 years. … ” Read more from Channel 12.
A win-win-win solution for the Colorado River
“On a sunny and calm day in late June, a group of diverse partners gathered along the San Juan River in Farmington, NM, to celebrate a first-of-its-kind agreement between a Tribal Nation, state government and conservation NGO and a historic release of water designed to benefit both nature and people. This celebration was the culmination of years of work to develop a win-win-win solution for addressing the ongoing drought within the Colorado River Basin. At the crux of this, knowing that to really make a difference for the river we need to tackle the crisis differently, we need to work together on all fronts, find common ground and not be afraid to try new things and test solutions. Every solution should have multiple co-benefits and every drop of water will need to do quadruple duty, meeting multiple needs, as it flows downstream. … ” Read more from The Nature Conservancy.
“Irrefutable truths”: Colorado’s guiding principles going into Colorado River negotiations, according to its top negotiator
“As Colorado’s first full-time Colorado River commissioner, Becky Mitchell is able to focus entirely on navigating interstate water sharing negotiations and advocating for water users around the state. She’s laid out eight principles, or “irrefutable truths,” that guide her in that work. Since 2019, Mitchell has served as the director of the state’s top water agency, the Colorado Water Conservation Board, and simultaneously as the top Colorado River negotiator, appointed by Gov. Jared Polis. In June, the state announced her move to full-time commissioner. “I have always been incredibly proud to do the work that I do,” Mitchell said Thursday after leaving the quarterly CWCB board meeting in Crested Butte. “Not everybody gets to do work in something that can have such a great impact, so I never forget how fortunate I am to be able to do that.” … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun.
In national water news today …
Google’s water use is soaring. AI is only going to make it worse.
“Google just published its 2023 environmental report, and one thing is for certain: The company’s water use is soaring. The internet giant said it consumed 5.6 billion gallons of water in 2022, the equivalent of 37 golf courses. Most of that — 5.2 billion gallons — was used for the company’s data centers, a 20% increase on the amount Google reported the year prior. The numbers provide a stark reminder of the environmental cost of running huge data centers, which often require vast amounts of water to stay cool. And as Google and every other tech company in the AI arms race speed to build new data centers, the amount of water they consume will very likely keep rising. … ” Read more from Insider.
AI can help fight climate change and injustice — if it doesn’t make them worse, first
“There’s hope for even the most ardent of climate change observers in the notion that if human innovation and technology got us into this mess, they can get us out of it. And few potential tools on the table are triggering quite the same blend of optimism and concern, promise and confusion, as artificial intelligence. AI, which involves sophisticated computer systems that can mimic some aspects of human cognition, has vast potential to help humans combat climate change and be better prepared to deal with its effects. Experts are working on ways to use machine learning to help us use resources more efficiently, for example, and to more accurately predict increasingly common extreme weather events. But before AI can be put to use in those ways, technology companies need to put the programs through intense training sessions and build or expand warehouse-scale data centers to support these systems. It takes lots of water and energy to keep densely packed computer servers for these systems cool and running smoothly. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
Funding poised to dry up for water projects in Ohio and other states if proposed budget cuts become law
“Proposed federal funding cutbacks for water programs would severely impact communities in Ohio and other states as they strive to provide safe drinking water, replace aging infrastructure, respond to climate change and more. Among other things, the bill terms reported out by the House Appropriations Committee on July 19 would dramatically slash money going from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to state revolving funds for clean water and drinking water projects. The House would also eliminate funding for environmental justice programs, block the Biden Administration’s orders on diversity, equity and inclusion and block certain rulemaking and enforcement actions. “The proposed budget is a disaster for clean water,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters—Great Lakes Coalition. Although the House would hold the line on the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, “it really guts the other clean water programs.” … ” Read more from Inside Climate News.
Small amount of a PFAS may weaken immune response, EPA finds
“Thyroid function and children’s developing immune systems may be impaired following exposure to a particular PFAS, the EPA said in a draft analysis it released on Monday for public comment and scientific critique. When finalized, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxicological Review of perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) and related salts will be used by the agency and states to inform regulatory and other decisions about when the amounts of the chemical in soil, water, or other parts of the environment need to be reduced. “The available evidence indicates that PFHxS exposure is likely to cause thyroid and developmental immune effects in humans, given sufficient exposure conditions,” the EPA’s analysis said. … ” Read more from Bloomberg Law.
