In California water news today …
Portfolio solutions for water – flood management
[this is a repost of a blog originally published in March 2019] “The tweet below, shows slight (but still frightening) levee overtopping this week on Cache Creek, just north of Woodland, California. It also illustrates the combined operations of flood preparation and response, with a simultaneous floodplain evacuation order. Integrating a range of preparations and responses have made the Sacramento Valley much safer from floods.One often hears, “If only we did X, we would solve this problem.” Alas, effective solutions are rarely so simple or reliable. Most robust solutions for problems involve a diverse and complementary portfolio of actions, developed over time. When a set of diverse actions are carefully crafted to work together, they often provide more effective, adaptable, and reliable performance, at less expense [than] a single solution. … ” Read more from the California Water Blog.Can wastewater help us adapt to climate change?
“Population growth and climate change are stretching America’s water supplies to the limit, and tapping new sources is becoming more difficult each year—in some cases, even impossible. New Mexico, California, Arizona, and Colorado are facing the nation’s most significant strains on water supplies. But across the entire American Southwest, water stress has become the norm. … There is hope. Technology, specifically potable reuse, safely turns wastewater into drinking water. One form of this technology, direct potable reuse (DPR), introduces treated wastewater directly back into the existing water supply. This approach can be cheaper, quicker, and more efficient than many other options to sustain and expand water supply. Better yet, it’s also completely safe. Despite this reality, U.S. states were once reluctant to introduce DPR, but this method has been gaining momentum as a legitimate, worthwhile, and potentially imperative solution to water supply problems. … ” Read the full article at LA Progressive.
Chemical cuisine: Chinook exposure to pesticides varies with preferred prey
“The Central Valley of California only contains 1% of U.S. farmland, but generates 8% of the country’s agricultural output and produces a quarter of the nation’s food. Much of this astounding production comes from the 8,500 square kilometers of farmland in the Sacramento River watershed, which covers the northern portion of the Central Valley. This extensive farmland means that the watershed is exposed to a significant amount of compounds commonly used in farming, including pesticides. As water flows over the land to streams and rivers, it carries these contaminants along with it, ultimately dumping them in waterways and floodplains, where they often make their way into the food web. Consequently, juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) feeding and rearing within the watershed can be exposed to these harmful compounds. But how significant is this risk of exposure, and does it vary depending on where juvenile salmon are feeding? … ” Read more from FishBio.
Ducks Unlimited’s scientific studies will help conserve Pacific Flyway waterfowl, habitats
“Ducks Unlimited and its scientific partners have several studies planned or underway to study waterfowl and their habitats in the Pacific Flyway. “Ducks Unlimited is committed to using science to guide all of our conservation efforts,” said Dr. Mark Petrie, a waterfowl scientist and director of conservation planning for DU’s Western Region. “These studies will help us understand how and where to best to use our supporters’ dollars to invest in on-the-ground conservation that makes a real difference for waterfowl.” … ” Continue reading at Ducks Unlimited.
Foothill yellow-legged frog receives Endangered Species Act protections
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it will provide Endangered Species Act protections to four of the six geographically and genetically distinct population segments (DPS) of the foothill yellow-legged frog. After reviewing the best scientific and commercial information available, the Service determined endangered status for the South Sierra DPS and South Coast DPS and threatened status for the North Feather DPS and Central Coast DPS of the foothill yellow-legged frog. The Service is including a 4(d) rule for the North Feather DPS and Central Coast DPS that excepts take incidental to habitat restoration projects and forest fuels management activities that reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. The Service will designate critical habitat for the frog at a later date. The foothill yellow-legged frog, named for its yellow belly and underside of its rear legs, is found from Oregon to southern California. … ” Continue reading from the US Fish & Wildlife Service.
Native nations and UC scientists join together in climate fight
“Indigenous land-management strategies have been largely missing from modern attempts to combat the effects of devastating wildfires and worsening climate change in California. A new $7 million grant aims to change that. The grant project is being led by San Diego State University along with the Climate Science Alliance’s Tribal Working Group, which consists of more than 20 Southern California Tribal governments and communities. For its role, UC Riverside will receive $1 million. Funded by the state and the University of California, the project establishes the Collaborative of Native Nations for Climate Transformation & Stewardship, or CNNCTS, whose larger goals include multifaceted research and training endeavors. … ” Read more from UC Riverside.
SEE ALSO: What can Indigenous knowledge, and now AI, teach us about fire?, from USC
Shrinking California still dreams, but more modestly
“California has long beckoned with its coastal beauty and bustle — the magnetic pull of Hollywood, the power of Silicon Valley. That allure helped make it a cultural, economic and political force. For 170 years, growth was constant and expansion felt boundless. … By early 2020, California’s population had soared to nearly 40 million residents, with another 10 million expected in the coming decades.Then, with the coronavirus pandemic and its aftermath, the trend reversed: The state lost more people than it gained in each of the last three years and shrank to less than 39 million people. Recent data released by the state Finance Department now offers a stunning prediction: The population could stagnate for the next four decades. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
In commentary today …
Pat Mulroy: Sustainable solutions needed to navigate the water crisis in the West
Pat Mulroy, the former general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority and president and CEO of Sustainable Strategies, writes, “When I sat down a year ago to pen a guest Where I Stand column, the water situation on the Colorado River looked very different. The previous winter had brought no relief to the drought-stricken region and the reservoirs were threatening to drop to catastrophic levels with the very real possibility that our neighbors south of us could be cut off from river water entirely. The reaction of the states and the federal government was exactly what could be expected in those circumstances … fast, deep and dramatic reductions in use. Tempers flared and lawyers were hired to assert the various legal claims. Then this winter the basin experienced a rare atmospheric river bringing heavy snows to the Rockies. Reservoirs that had been predicted to fall were now expected to rise somewhat. That was enough breathing room for the states to adopt a temporary solution of remedial reductions until a larger, more permanent solution can be found before 2026. … ” Read more from the Las Vegas Sun.
In regional water news and commentary today …
U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers begins repair work on Pajaro River levee
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has begun interim repair work on the Pajaro River levee. The work underway right now is being done on the Monterey County side of the levee. According to Santa Cruz County, this work will lead to the full replacement of the levee system. Once completed, the new levee will provide 100-year flood protection and help prevent repeated flooding that has occurred over the years. … ” Read more from KSBW.
SEE ALSO: As Pajaro River levee repairs begin, questions remain around the long-sought replacement, from Lookout Santa Cruz
How much water did Hilary add to the Salton Sea? ‘It’s not nothing, but not that much’
“In the days leading up to Tropical Storm Hilary, some on social media speculated whether the incoming deluge could help fill the shrinking Salton Sea. After all, the storm was forecasted to bring more than a year’s worth of rain to the desert over the span of two days, and earlier this year, California’s historically wet winter brought back the long-dry Tulare Lake in the San Joaquin Valley. But those familiar with the Salton Sea say anyone hoping that a large storm could save California’s largest lake shouldn’t hold their breath, and should realize that a storm large enough to make a difference for the sea’s declining water level also would bring devastating impacts to the surrounding region. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun.
As companies eye massive lithium deposits in the Salton Sea, locals anticipate a mixed bag
“When Sonia Herbert, 78, opened a restaurant in Bombay Beach, a small California neighborhood about 80 miles northeast of San Diego, she welcomed the bustle of tourists and locals visiting the Salton Sea shoreline. Located in Imperial County, the lake and its wetlands offer crucial habitats for migratory birds and a refuge for people from the hot desert sun. “People would go water skiing, fishing and swimming,” Herbert remembers. “We used to have thousands of birds come through here migrating and now, you don’t see the big white pelicans anymore. But recently, the Salton Sea has become a hotbed of industrial activity filled with promise for the future. Beneath its shores lie untouched lithium deposits that experts believe could play a role in the world’s clean energy future. With the rising demand for lithium during the clean energy transition, the area—also known as “Lithium Valley”—has become an attractive location for major energy companies to explore advanced mining techniques like direct lithium extraction (DLE). … ” Read more from Inside Climate News.
Imperial Beach residents, businesses rejoice as boil water advisory ends
“Within roughly one hour of a boil water advisory being lifted, the water distribution site located off of Tenth Street in Imperial Beach was clear although cars continued rolling in as drivers searched for pallets of bottled water. Some yelled “Yes!” in response to the words “The boil advisory is over” as employees with the California American Water Company (Cal-Am) began spreading the good news. … ” Read more from Channel 10.
Along the Colorado River …
The Colorado River is unpredictable, but its policies and management shouldn’t be
Jennifer Pitt, Audubon Colorado River Program Director, writes, “The wet winter of 2022-2023 followed more than two decades of drought in the Colorado River Basin. The snowmelt boosted system reservoirs by about 10 percent, an extremely fortunate turn of events. But the reality remains that system reservoirs are more than half empty. In the Colorado River Basin there will always be wet years and dry years, but climate change means the overall trend is warmer, drier, with less water availability. In the midst of this variability, federal and state leaders are developing new rules for sharing the Colorado River, working simultaneously on a short-term fix (born of crisis conditions in 2022 that were partially alleviated by the wet winter) and a long-term reset adaptive to climate change. … ” Read more from Audubon.
Amid cutbacks, heat and drought, Arizona farmers get help from University of Arizona
“With three-quarters of Arizona’s fresh water supply going to farmlands, the recent reductions imposed on Colorado River supply are having a huge impact on agriculture in the state. “It’s all about stretching that water dollar or that gallon of water a little bit further.” Paul “Paco” Ollerton is a third-generation farmer in Casa Grande, who says he’d already been squeezing every last drop for his fields. “Our yields have improved dramatically. Irrigation efficiencies have helped quite a bit.” Ollerton and other farmers are getting help from the University of Arizona’s Cooperative Extension. … ” Read more from KJZZ.
Park service will poison fish to slow bass invasion upstream from the Grand Canyon
“National Park Service biologists planned to close off and poison a slough connected to the Colorado River upstream of the Grand Canyon to kill young, non-native bass this weekend, the agency said. It’s the second time that officials have used rotenone, a fish-killing agent, as an emergency measure to slow a mushrooming smallmouth bass invasion from Lake Powell that threatens native humpback chubs that swim the Colorado farther downstream. This time they’re seeking hundreds of young bass, instead of the handful first detected in the slough between Glen Canyon Dam and Lees Ferry last year. … ” Continue reading from Arizona Central.
In national water news today …
What your insurer is trying to tell you about climate change
“As climate-related disasters grow in frequency and intensity, major home insurers in some locations are concluding that no premium—or at least no premium that customers are willing to pay and state regulators are likely to permit—will cover the potential losses. Earlier this year, Allstate and California’s largest insurer, State Farm, announced that they would hold off on writing new policies for homes in the state. From 2019 to 2022, payouts to homeowners there more than doubled, but premium revenue from customers increased by only a third, according to industry data reported by The Wall Street Journal. Rising home-insurance rates reflect a lot of factors: real-estate costs, building-supply prices, the whims of global financial markets, and, yes, corporate bean counters’ desire to maximize profits. But more and more, homeowners are also paying for the damage that climate change will cause to their property—and they should be paying. If the continuing risk of fires, hurricanes, and other weather-related disasters isn’t enough to make Americans think carefully about how and where to build a home, perhaps the rising cost of insurance might concentrate their mind. Yet policies at all levels of government suppress the signal that insurers are sending. … ” Read the full story at the Atlantic.
More news and commentary in the weekend edition …
In California water news this weekend …
Could the Chinese government fund construction of huge new dam in Santa Clara County?- Frequently Asked Questions: Sites Reservoir Greenhouse Gas Emissions Evaluation
- Map: Does your drinking water contain ‘forever chemicals’?
- Hilary’s ag impact being assessed, but prices could be off the charts down the road
- Partnering with beavers to adapt to climate change
- Officials warn of increased risk for valley fever in parts of California
- In a burn scar along California’s Sierra Nevada, ‘green glaciers’ hold a key to forest health
- A season of contradictions for wildfire
- Legislators ask Gavin Newsom to give California scientists a contract addressing pay parity
- Klamath Project irrigators might lose remaining water allocation
- Few recreation opportunities found for Cache Slough plan
- Stay out, stay alive: a story of Kern County’s killer river
- Colorado Water Congress panel debunks ‘big river myths’
- After America’s summer of extreme weather, ‘next year may well be worse’
- And more …
Click here for the weekend digest.
