On the calendar today …
- LUNCH-MAR: Flood-MAR in Madera County from 12:30pm to 1:30pm. The guest is Stephanie Anagnoson, Director of Water And Natural Resources, Madera County. Join to hear a presentation on Madera County’s preparation and outreach that led to a successful flood-MAR effort. The presentation will offer clear lessons learned to prepare your own community to take a “big gulp” when flood waters are available. Click here to register.
- MEETING: State Water Resources Control Board beginning at 9:30am. Agenda items include an informational item on the Department of Transportation Public Awareness Campaign regarding Stormwater Pollution to water ways; update on the Clear Lake hitch emergency; and a Public hearing on proposed MCL for hexavalent chromium. Click here for the full agenda.
- WEBINAR: Keeping It Cool: Managing River Temperature for Coldwater from 11am to 12pm. Speaker: Dr. Ann Willis, California Regional Director for American Rivers. Over the past few decades, research has shown how rivers need patterns of flow similar to their natural flow regime to sustain native ecosystems. More recently, research has shown that stream temperature must be managed similarly – rather than managing for temperature thresholds, we need to understand and replicate seasonal thermal regimes. Despite considerable effort to manage temperature on regulated rivers, few regulated rivers replicate natural thermal regimes. Process-based restoration projects are showing how natural thermal regimes can be restored despite upstream regulation. Remote Access: https://noaanmfs-meets.webex.com/noaanmfs-meets/j.php?MTID=m5de8b1fe08b663314db3a6a3b2f367fd; Password (if needed): fedsem1nar!
- HYBRID EVENT: Damien Schiff in Conversation: Exploring the Sackett Case and the Supreme Court’s Decision from 12pm to 1pm. Join the Kronick Law Firm for an MCLE panel discussion featuring Damien Schiff of the Pacific Legal Foundation, who recently secured a groundbreaking victory in the US Supreme Court case, Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency. Kronick attorney Lauren Bernadett and Brenda Bass, Policy Advocate at California Chamber of Commerce, will engage Damien in an insightful conversation about his decade-long litigation before the Supreme Court, specifically focusing on the definition of “waters of the U.S.” RSVP here to attend in-person at Kronick’s Office, 1331 Garden Hwy, 2nd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95833 (lunch provided) or virtually via Zoom
- WEBINAR: A Panel Discussion on Measuring, Modeling, and Managing Subsidence in the California Central Valley from 12pm to 1:30pm. Groundwater overdraft in several parts of the Central Valley has led to ongoing and accelerating subsidence, which is impacting critical infrastructure, impairing surface water deliveries for conjunctive use, and reducing the groundwater basins’ storage capacity. Subsidence is a complex phenomenon driven by depressurization, dewatering, and consolidation of underlying clay interbeds due to excessive pumping in the surrounding aquifers. This panel will get together experts who will discuss the phenomenon and mechanics of subsidence, current and emerging technology to measure and monitor it, the state of the art of modeling/predicting subsidence, and management approaches to reducing and mitigating for subsidence. Our panelists represent experts from the USGS, consulting firms, and Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) to provide a comprehensive perspective on how to understand and manage this challenging issue. Click here for more information and to register.
- PUBLIC HEARING: Hexavalent Chromium Maximum Contaminant Level beginning at 1pm. State Water Board staff will conduct an Administrative Procedure Act (APA) public hearing regarding the subject proposed regulations. The public hearing will begin with a staff presentation summarizing the proposed regulations, followed by an opportunity for public comment. Click here for the hearing notice.
Today’s featured article …
NOTEBOOK FEATURE: In 2021 people used all the runoff in the Delta watershed—how it happened and lessons learned
This year is a classic example of the way California’s water system was designed to work. Winter storms dropped towering snowpacks on the mountains, and spring was so cool that the snowmelt will likely last through the summer.
But just two years ago, California was in a severe drought: 2021 was the state’s second driest year on record and was also exceptionally hot. The snowpack vanished before summer even began.
“It went from 70 percent in the northern Sierra Nevada in April to zero percent by May,” says California Department of Water Resources director Karla Nemeth. DWR operates the State Water Project, which extends more than 700 miles from northern to southern California, and delivers water to 27 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland.
Click here to continue reading this article.
Return to topIn California water news today …
New state budget maintains water and natural resources funding in an uncertain economy
“When it comes to state funding for water and natural resource projects, California has typically turned to general obligation bonds as the first resort. These bonds enable the state to borrow funds and pay them back over many years using General Fund dollars. The historic budget surpluses of recent years have shaken up this long-standing arrangement: awash in tax revenue, the state seized a rare opportunity to directly allocate large sums of General Fund dollars for water and natural resources. After two years of largesse, however, that funding source may be drying up—and we may see a return to general obligation (GO) bonds. In the past two fiscal years, California took advantage of budget surpluses to allocate more than $12 billion from the General Fund to multi-year water and natural resource investments. With the recent budget shortfall, the state made some modest cutbacks (7%). Here’s the current breakdown … ” Read more from the PPIC.
“Three Western Indigenous tribes on Tuesday petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency seeking a ban on a toxic chemical used in the manufacture of tires that poses a deadly risk to fish—including species listed as endangered or threatened—when it breaks down. Acting on behalf of the Yurok Tribe of northern California and the Port Gamble S’Klallam and Puyallup tribes from the Puget Sound region of Washington state, the legal advocacy group Earthjustice filed a petition asking Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan to invoke Section 21 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) “to establish regulations prohibiting the manufacturing, processing, use, and distribution of N-(1,3-Dimethylbutyl)-N’-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD) for and in tires.” … ” Read more from Common Dreams.
Preparing for El Niño: Moderate to strong El Niño conditions are in the forecast for this year
“Dr. Gary Griggs has been a professor of oceanography for more than fifty years. It shows. Tasked with explaining El Niño, he asks if he could perhaps pull up some PowerPoint slides. Along with the slides, Griggs uses Zoom’s whiteboard function, drawing from memory a serviceable outline of California’s coast. He casts arrows to represent global water and air currents. He is patient and, as any great teacher, admits to what is unknown. “We can get a rocket to Mars and drive around little vehicles and send photographs back, but we do not know why we have El Niños,” Griggs says. … ” Read more from Good Times.
Sustainable farming is key to quality as California becomes hotter and drier
“Once professionals in disparate fields, Sam and Lynn Israelit ventured into olive farming, founding Spanish Oaks Ranch in 2013. Along with tending his olive groves in the prodigious San Luis Obispo County, Sam Israelit is the chief sustainability officer at management consultancy Bain & Company, where he has worked since 2000. …Despite the challenges, the Israelits have developed a loyal customer base for their extra virgin olive oil. However, this is not their only challenge while growing olives on California’s Central Coast. The increasingly hot and dry climate of central California has caused the Israelits to work tirelessly to create favorable conditions for their olive groves. “The drought over the past several years has required us to closely monitor the amount of water we supply to our trees so we can avoid excessive bitterness or woodiness in the oils,” he said. … ” Read more from the Olive Oil Times.
Column: The next age of water
Shawn Novack, water conservation program manager with the Water Resources Association San Benito County, writes, “The California Water Plan is the state’s strategic roadmap for managing the state’s precious water resources equitably and sustainably. First developed in 1957, it has been continually updated to tackle the evolving issues and challenges of the day. The latest update, expected mid-2024, will highlight sustainable water resource management, climate urgency, and the need to ensure that all Californians benefit from water planning and investments. Peter Gleick recently wrote an article that civilization has gone through the first and second “Age of Water.’ Mr. Gleick is an American scientist working on issues related to the environment and is co-founder of the Pacific Institute. The Pacific Institute creates and advances solutions to the world’s most pressing water challenges. … ” Read more from BenitoLink.
LaMalfa, Thompson, Feinstein, Padilla, introduce legislation to create permanent disaster relief program for farmers
“Congressmen Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) and Mike Thompson (CA-04), along with Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla, announced the introduction of the Agricultural Emergency Relief Act to create a permanent program at the Department of Agriculture to provide relief for farmers who lost crops due to natural disasters. While Congress routinely provides relief for farmers impacted by natural disasters, the lack of a permanent program has resulted in multiple administrative changes, which can cause unnecessary delays in implementation and confusion for farmers. “American farmers and ranchers, including those in California, occasionally face devastation from natural disasters. When a food producer suffers crop losses, whether it’s drought, flood, smoke damage, fire itself, even insect infestations, they are must deal with a complicated and lengthy process to get financial relief. There are farmers in California who are still waiting on aid for losses from several growing seasons ago,” said Congressman LaMalfa.“Creating a permanent disaster program – especially for specialty crop producers – is essential to ensure family farms stay in operation and our nation’s food security is preserved.” … ” Continue reading at Congressman Doug LaMalfa’s website.
California’s winter waves may be increasing under climate change
“A new study from UC San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography researcher emeritus Peter Bromirski uses nearly a century of data to show that the average heights of winter waves along the California coast have increased as climate change has heated up the planet. The study, published today in the Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, achieved its extraordinarily long time series by using seismic records dating back to 1931 to infer wave height, a unique but accepted method first developed by Bromirski in 1999. The results, made more robust by their 90 years of statistical power, join a growing body of research that suggests storm activity in the North Pacific Ocean has increased under climate change. … ” Read more from UC San Diego.
In commentary today …
Why alfalfa is ideal for California and the Southwest
Ayman Mostafa, Ph.D., a field crops and entomology specialist and director of the Urban Agriculture Production, Small-Scale and Beginning Farmer Program at the University of Arizona, writes, “The Southwest continues to endure a megadrought, signifying drought conditions lasting at least two decades. Historic water-supply challenges, particularly from the depleted Colorado River, have focused attention on a key agricultural commodity: alfalfa. The crop is second to almonds in terms of acreage and water use in California. The share of water going toward alfalfa hay production supports dairy and livestock industries in southwestern states including California, Arizona and New Mexico. Alfalfa is the leading crop in terms of gross value in California’s Imperial County and comprises the largest acreage among all crops in Arizona. Increased demand for high-protein-source dairy products and meat has been reflected in soaring prices of alfalfa hay in recent years. Still, some believe the amount of water used to irrigate alfalfa is a major contributor to the region’s water shortage. They fail to recognize alfalfa’s economic efficiencies, environmental impacts and agronomic benefits to our ecosystem. … ” Continue reading this commentary from Ag Alert.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Water order takes shape for North Coast vineyards
“Winegrape growers in Mendocino and Sonoma counties say a proposed water-quality regulation establishes general waste discharge requirements for vineyards that are burdensome, costly and often duplicate work by growers participating in sustainability certification programs. Rather than regulating all agricultural crops under one order—an approach taken by some other regions—Kari Fisher, senior counsel for the California Farm Bureau, said the North Coast regional board created a separate irrigated lands permit for all commercial vineyards regardless of size. “The projections that the regional board put in their draft order underestimate the regulatory cost for growers,” Fisher said. “The requirements, such as those for turbidity monitoring, are going to be very costly given the many discharge points that growers have to monitor.” … ” Read more from Ag Alert.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Science to save Lake Tahoe
“For nearly 50 years, oncologist and lifelong competitive swimmer Barbara Klencke has come to Lake Tahoe in the summer, and more recently year round as a permanent resident, to swim its majestic blue waters and appreciate its natural beauty. “The clarity and color of the water is like no other,” Klencke said. “When the sun shines on the granite rocks that lie under the surface, they sparkle in the sunshine.” Keeping the lake pristine is a motivating factor for Klencke’s involvement with the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center. For the past three years, she has participated in TERC CIRC—an annual seven-day kayaking event in June where participants circumnavigate Lake Tahoe with scientific experts to learn about the lake’s ecology, geology, and emerging challenges. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Levee repairs coming to Oroville
“Oroville’s 109-year levee is in need of maintenance, and on Tuesday the Oroville City Council approved a services agreement with the Sutter Buttes Flood Control Agency to assign work projects around repairing the city’s levee. The agreement will allow Oroville to create levee improvement task orders and pursue grants to help fund projects that the agency previously identified in February for the council. Michael Bessette, executive director of Sutter Butttes Flood Control Agency said his agency solely does flood risk reduction projects, and has utilized $400 million since 2007, mostly from state funding, to build levee improvements. Bessette said his agency is interested in connecting with the state, including the Department of Water Resources, to fund levee improvement projects in the area and is interested in building a relationship with Oroville. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record.
Finding room for cost-effective water storage: Roseville and neighboring communities are tapping into groundwater as a long-term solution
“A great place to store water may be under your feet. The potential for local groundwater storage is twice as much as Folsom Reservoir’s capacity—with no new dams necessary. Groundwater supplies about a third of the Sacramento region’s water needs. An important resource for Roseville and other local cities, it provides water supply reliability in times of drought or abundance. “It’s the most cost-effective approach (to water storage),” says Ryan Ojakian, Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Program Manager for the Regional Water Authority (RWA). … ” Read more from the Sacramento News & Review.
NAPA/SONOMA
Agreement in place for sale of beloved redwood forest land
“A large expanse of redwood forest once slated for logging appears to be spared, but it’s a battle with the clock now for Save the Redwoods League. That’s as the nonprofit races to secure the six and a half million dollars needed to buy the property located on the south side of the Russian River between Guerneville and Monte Rio. Dubbed the Russian River Redwoods, the 394-acre site is home to the legendary Clar Tree, one of the last remaining old growth redwoods in the area, measuring 278 feet tall, and believed to be close to 2,000 years old. … ” Read more from Northern California Public Radio.
BAY AREA
A toxic red tide has returned to the San Francisco Bay Area, after killing thousands of fish last year
“A toxic red tide has returned to the San Francisco Bay Area, nearly one year after an unprecedented algae bloom killed thousands of fish and marine life in the region. Citizen scientists near the Berkeley Marina reported seeing discolored water Friday; various groups then went out to collect samples and had them analyzed, according to David Senn, a scientist at the San Francisco Estuary Institute. Testing confirmed that the organism producing the distinct brownish, red color in the water was the microorganism called Heterosigma akashiwo, which was also responsible for killing thousands of marine life last year, resulting in animal carcasses washing ashore during a heat wave. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Red tide algae has returned to San Francisco Bay this year
“You remember the thousands of fish, including green and white sturgeon, striped bass, gobies and leopard sharks, that perished in San Francisco Bay last year due to a red tide algae bloom? Environmentalists and government agencies yesterday revealed that another harmful algae bloom is taking place in sections of the bay this year. However, there have no been reports of dead fish or marine organisms at this time. San Francisco Baykeeper’s field science team investigated reports to the organization’s pollution hotline and confirmed reddish brown (“tea colored”) waters in the Berkeley marina, and subsequently along the shores of Emeryville, Berkeley, and Albany, according to a press statement from the group. … ” Read more from the Daily Kos.
CENTRAL COAST
Monterey city leaders seek collaboration with neighboring water suppliers to meet housing mandate
“In an effort to ease the California housing crisis, the state requires every city and county to develop a certain number of affordable housing units. But in the city of Monterey, they have one big problem— there’s just not enough water. “So we have less than five-acre feet of water available in the city of Monterey. We’ve currently allocated that to develop some affordable housing projects so we can move forward on that. But beyond that, we’re really limited, and even with those constructions, we don’t have the water meters in order to fully develop those projects out,” said Tyller Williamson, Mayor of Monterey. … ” Read more from KSBY.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Who do you trust: Mayor Singh or Delicato Winery?
Delicato Vineyards is asking voters if they trust Manteca Mayor Gary Singh as well as the city’s firefighters and police or the corporation with annual sales approaching half a billion dollars. It is part of extensive poll being conducted by Research-Polls in a bid to help the owners of the world’s fifth largest winery craft a targeted campaign aimed at torpedoing the updated general plan they had issues with because it doesn’t dictate how they want property that they don’t own to be developed. … ” Read more from the Manteca Bulletin.
Trash in water basin at park upsetting neighbors in Fresno County
“Neighbors are speaking out about the trash collecting in the stormwater basin at Oso de Oro Park in Fresno County. Some residents tell Action News the trash piling up in the water is disturbing. “There is wrappers, plastic cups, food wrappers, McDonald’s,” said neighbor Diane Golden. She moved to the area less than a year ago. She said she would love to help clean up, but a fence stood in the way. She believes the garbage is both an eyesore and a hazard. “It is a wildlife basin like it says it is, and then they’re eating and drinking trash and whatever is being thrown in there, so that’s what they have to go through, plastic and everything,” said Golden. … ” Read more from KFSN.
Springville residents voice complaints against Del Oro Water
“It goes without saying that water is a necessity, one that has been taken away from some residents of the Montgomery Ranch Subdivision of Springville after flooding and subsequent water shortages. While their provider, the Del Oro Water Company, has promised they’re doing the best they can, residents aren’t so sure. A public meeting was held on Friday, July 28, which allowed Springville residents to ask Del Oro the questions they’ve been dying to know: when are they going to get their water back, and will they get reimbursed for damages and bills. … ” Read more from the Foothills Sun-Gazette.
EASTERN SIERRA
First fisheries monitoring report completed under Mono Basin Water Agreement
“In October 2021, the California State Water Resources Board issued Order 21-86 to amend the water rights of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) in the Mono Basin. Mono Basin stream habitat was damaged through the years by excessive water diversions by LADWP to Los Angeles. This order formalized a prior stream restoration agreement and new operational requirements for flows and diversions were established. As a result, twenty miles of stream and Mono Lake benefit from science-based restoration. … ” Read more from Cal Trout.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Ocean waves to generate power at the Port of Los Angeles
“A Stockholm-based startup will soon test the waters of an untapped source of clean energy at the Port of Los Angeles in California’s San Pedro Bay. Eco Wave Power, which has pioneered wave-power installations in Israel and Gibraltar, unveiled plans this year for a pilot wave-power project that will, in coming months, extract power from ocean waves at the AltaSea campus — within the Port of Los Angeles — to generate electricity. The pilot will be Eco Wave’s first in the United States. (The nonprofit AltaSea advances blue-economy sustainability solutions through business innovation and job creation on its 35-acre campus.) … ” Read more from the Source.
Huntington Beach braces for another night of king tides
“King tides are continuing to impact the Orange County coast, with abnormally high water levels causing flooding in Huntington Beach. King tides, “exceptionally high tides” that strike three or four times a year, hit at about 9:40 p.m. Tuesday and are expected again at about 10:40 p.m. Wednesday, the city said on Twitter. “Due to King Tides, our Public Works crews will be mobilized to monitor for dry weather flooding along some streets in Huntington Harbour & Sunset Beach,” officials added. … ” Read moire from KTLA.
Newport Beach streets have flooded twice this week — what gives?
“For the last two nights, Newport Beach streets have been soaked. High tides in the evening hours sent water spilling over from the harbor into streets on Balboa Island and the Peninsula on Sunday, July 30, and again in West Newport the next night. Typically, extreme astronomical high tides are predictable. In winter, rains can cause water levels to rise to cause spillage. Sometimes, big swells can combine with tides to cause trouble. But this is summer. The swell is small. And there’s no rain. So what gives? El Nino is here. Data dating back to El Nino events in 1997 and 2015 show water levels hitting 6 inches to nearly a foot higher than predicted tide levels. And with extremely warm water in recent weeks, it seems the latest El Nino’s coastal impacts of higher water levels are following that trend, said Brett Sanders, a coastal engineering expert at UC Irvine. … ” Read more from the OC Register.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Wiest Lake reopens, IID restores water flow
“Wiest Lake has reopened to the public for recreational activities, the county of Imperial and Imperial County Department of Public Works announced in a press release on Monday afternoon, July 31. The county is thanking the Imperial Irrigation District administration and staff for its collective efforts in restoring water flow to the lake. With Wiest Lake now reopened, locals and visitors can resume fishing, bird-watching, and other recreational activities. … ” Read more from the Holtville Tribune.
Along the Colorado River …
Temperatures to soar again in Southwest, ramping up fire concerns
“Following a slow start to the fire season in the western United States, blazes have been igniting across many states in the last couple of weeks due to the extreme heat and the return of monsoon thunderstorms and the lightning they yield. Fires and the fire whirl they have spawned are forcing evacuations and also threatening iconic ecosystems such as the Joshua trees. AccuWeather meteorologists say that after a slight downward trend in temperatures in recent days, heat will once again ramp up across the Southwest. The pattern will continue to promote daily thunderstorms across portions of the West in the coming days, but the main focus of the lightning storms will soon shift to different zones. … ” Read more from AccuWeather.
Colorado River task force focuses first meeting on hopes, concerns about fast-paced process
“Members of the Colorado River Drought Task Force met for the first time Monday to lay the groundwork for five months of water supply problem-solving. The Colorado General Assembly passed legislation in May to create the interim task force, which will study and recommend ways state lawmakers can address Colorado River water scarcity in the future. As the members head into those discussions, several of them said one of their main priorities is to condense diverse and at times conflicting perspectives into a unified message for lawmakers. The 17-member group had to hold its first meeting by July 31, according to the legislation. The meeting primarily focused on the members’ hopes and concerns about the task ahead and logistical questions about how to proceed when time is in short supply. … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun.
Colorado River drought behind rural-urban tensions in the centennial state
“Western Colorado rancher Bill Fales said he thinks that California will come for Colorado’s water someday soon. “I used to think it would come in my lifetime,” he said. He looked at a gray pall of rain shrouding the peak of Mount Sopris outside his kitchen window, and then at his Australian shepherd, Bridger, lying on the wood floor with her eyes turned up. “If we didn’t have this wet year, it was going to come in this dog’s lifetime, and she’s thirteen.” But Fales isn’t necessarily concerned about California coming for his water rights. For him, the issue is closer to home. “California will start it, but when they demand more water from Colorado, Denver is not gonna be helping us out,” he said. “Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and Fort Collins are going to dictate the [state’s water] policy. It’s going to protect them, not us.” … ” Read more from the Daily Yonder.
In national water news today …
Regional partnerships can bring a refreshing solution to aging water infrastructure
“The Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fire last year burned more than 340,000 acres in northern New Mexico, leaving the air smoky, the land barren and water systems clogged with ash. To this day, water pollution continues to put the health of more than 13,000 residents of Las Vegas, New Mexico, at risk. The city is working to get the water pollution under control, but tracking and remediating water problems relies on modern, connected infrastructure and skilled staff, said John Rhoderick, director of the water protection division of New Mexico’s Environment Department. However, “none of that comes cheap,” Rhoderick said. Updating water management systems can be so expensive that state and local governments put off modernization, further exacerbating poor water conditions. … ” Read more from Route 50.
