On the calendar today …
- MEETING: Central Valley Flood Protection Board beginning at 9am: Agenda items include an informational item on the Department of Water Resources’ Flood Operations Center Flood Preparedness Activities, 2023 Flood Week Resolution, and the American River Watershed Common Features project. Click here for the full agenda and remote access instructions.
- EVENT: California Native American Day from 10am to 2pm on the west steps of the State Capital. The event honors the valuable historical and cultural contributions made by Native Americans in California. This year, under the theme of “Protecting Our People Through Sovereignty: Past, Present and Future” the Native American community will celebrate the importance of communication and cooperation between California Native American Tribal communities and State Government. Highlights of the day are cultural performances, a Tribal Nations Flag ceremony, Tribal Leaders speaking on the topic and the Cultural Heritage Pavilion where leading California Native cultural arts practitioners will demonstrate cultural practices and Indigenous California languages, such as tule reed design and basketry art, and the gift of acorns. Native American Day is free and open to the public.
On the calendar tomorrow …
- Delta Waterways Cleanup from 9am to 12pm: The next Delta Waterway Cleanup event is scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 23, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Brannan Island State Recreation Area and Sherman Island in coordination with the Delta Conservancyt, Park Delta Bay, LLC and Rio Vista Windsurfing Association and Sherman Island Kiteboarding Organization (RVWA-SIKO). Click here to register.
- Not in the Delta? Find a clean up in your area here.
- Oroville Salmon Festival from 8am to 4pm. This annual family-friendly event celebrates the return of the salmon to the Feather River. Start with a Pancake Breakfast at the YMCA Oroville Convention Center and check out the full schedule here: Salmon Festival Full Schedule
In California water news today …
Atmospheric river forecast to bring rain to Northern California
“A moisture-rich atmospheric river that’s being called the first storm of the season is forecast to deliver rain to Northern California as early as Sunday night with the chance for showers continuing into Monday and Tuesday. Eureka and areas to the north are expected to see the heaviest rainfall with totals of 1 to 3 inches, while the Bay Area is likely to receive only light showers, according to the National Weather Service. Atmospheric rivers are narrow rivers of moisture pulled from the tropical Pacific Ocean. When these systems reach land, they can drop copious amounts of rainfall. Forecasters are predicting that this system will be moderate to strong, but not extremely strong, and focused over southern Oregon and northwest California. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
SEE ALSO:
- An atmospheric-river-fueled storm is headed to California. Here’s what to expect, from the San Francisco Chronicle
- The Season’s First Bomb Cyclone Hits the West Coast Next Week — But Won’t Likely Impact SF, from the SFist
El Niño is getting stronger, and odds are tilting toward another wet winter for California
“On the heels of a record-setting wet and warm August, forecasters on Thursday announced that El Niño is gaining strength and will almost certainly persist into 2024. El Niño, the warm phase of the El Niño-La Niña Southern Oscillation pattern, is a major driver of weather worldwide and is often associated with hotter global temperatures and wetter conditions in California. The system arrived in June and has been steadily gaining strength, with a 95% chance that it will persist into at least the first three months of 2024, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The odds of the system becoming a “strong” El Niño have increased to 71%. … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via Lookout Santa Cruz.
Fall-like weather pattern for CA as El Niño continues to strengthen; Odds of a second consecutive wet winter rise (though with caveats!)
Dr. Daniel Swain writes, “Well, Summer 2023 was a pretty remarkable one across California and the Western U.S.–but for rather different reasons than in recent seasons. Consistent with the long-term warming of the West, this summer was much warmer than the 20th century average in most places–especially in the Pacific Northwest and in Arizona/New Mexico. In California, conditions were actually cooler–close to the long-term average in many places, but also including regions of warmer than average in far NorCal and cooler than the long term average across portions of the coastal SoCal counties. It was not, however, record warm this summer anywhere in California–the first time that’s happened in a while, and a real testament to “shifting baseline syndrome:” a lot of folks felt this summer was pretty chilly in comparison to most of the past decade (which it was in a lot of highly populated parts of the state!), but in the longer term context this was not an especially cool summer. … ” Read more from Weather West.
Reclamation awards $34.3 million for Central Valley Project and facility improvements
“The Bureau of Reclamation announces the selection of five recipients to implement $34.3 million in salmon habitat improvement projects within the Central Valley Project. These awards represent the second year of the Central Valley Habitat and Facilities Improvement Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcement. The original announcement was released in 2021 for total awards of as much as $120 million, not to exceed $40 million in fiscal years 2022, 2023, and 2024. The restoration projects will enhance and improve spawning and rearing habitat for salmon at five different locations between Clear Creek and the Stanislaus River. The projects are being implemented in accordance with the Central Valley Project Improvement Act and the 2019 Biological Opinions for the Coordinated Operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project. Funding provided for these projects contributes to the Voluntary Agreements among state, federal, and local water agencies that would provide substantial new flows and habitat in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and their tributaries to help recover salmon and other native fish. … ” Read more from the Bureau of Reclamation.
Why the forest service is working to restore meadows in the Sierra
“When you think of a meadow, you might picture a field of flowers straight out of a postcard, no trees in sight. But meadows are also key to forest health. And in the Sierra Nevada, most of the meadows that play this role have been degraded or lost. In order to restore these ecosystems, some groups say we must adopt the mindset of small creatures, like rodents. Kevin Swift, owner of Swift Water Design, has dedicated his career to restoring meadows in the Sierra Nevada — specifically one a few miles above Shaver Lake called the Lower Grouse Meadow, which was severely affected by the 2020 Creek Fire. As a result of the fire, that area is surrounded by barren hillsides and blackened, charred pine trees. But here, in this meadow just above Shaver Lake, gravel and desiccated tree bark give way to tall grasses, purple wildflowers and buzzing pollinators. Like a strip of black-and-white film that’s been colorized. … ” Read more from KQED.
Invasive snail species discovered in Lake Tahoe is ‘impossible’ to eradicate, officials say
“The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the discovery of an invasive species in Lake Tahoe. According to a CDFW release, divers monitoring the lake for aquatic invasive species detected New Zealand Mud Snails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) off Lake Tahoe’s South Shore. The mud snails are tiny, aquatic snails that reach an average length of four to six millimeters, the Department of Fish and Wildlife said. New Zealand Mud Snails were first discovered in America in 1987 in the Snake River in Idaho, and were found in California in the Owens River in 2000. They were believed to have been introduced to western rives through shipments of live sportfish, but subsequent spread is likely due to recreational activities, CDFW officials said. … ” Read more from KTLA.
SEE ALSO:
- Invasive New Zealand Mudsnails Discovered In Lake Tahoe, press release from the Department of Fish & Wildlife
- An invasive species was found in Lake Tahoe. Here’s what they look like and how you can help, from the Sacramento Bee
“The Public Policy Institute of California, in partnership with the California Water Institute at Fresno State, hosted an event on campus Sept. 20 to share the findings of its report, “Managing Water and Farmland Transitions in the San Joaquin Valley.” According to the report, the success of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act relies on accelerating farmland repurposing efforts. This includes alternative land uses like solar development, water-limited cropping, water-efficient new housing, habitat restoration and recharge basins. The report also highlights the importance of investing in water infrastructure to expand recharge efforts. … ” Read more from Fresno State.
US farmers, tech tycoons square off over plans for utopian city
“A stealth campaign by Silicon Valley elites with a dream of turning a swath of California farmland into a new age city has ranchers who live here challenging their tactics and their motives. The project first surfaced when a mysterious buyer started snapping up parcels of land in this rural outback between San Francisco and Sacramento. The buyer, first revealed by The New York Times in August, turned out to be a secretive outfit called Flannery Associates, the brainchild of a former Goldman Sachs wunderkind, Jan Sramek. Flannery Associates said on its recently launched website that it has acquired more than 50,000 acres (20,200 hectares) of land for its California Forever project, whose backers include LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman, Steve Jobs’s widow Laurene Powell Jobs and star tech investor Marc Andreessen. … ” Read more from RTL.
The nearly 500 Californians killed in the 1928 St. Francis Dam disaster might finally get a memorial
“Phillip Cesena transferred to San Franciscquito Canyon in February 1928 to work as a ranch hand, mucking out stalls and exercising ranch animals. The 15-year-old had just lost his father, Leonardo, and wanted to support his mother, Erolinda, and his 12 brothers and sisters by learning how to break horses and perform trick riding for Hollywood westerns. A month later, Cesena’s fate was sealed. The St. Francis Dam burst, sending 12.6 billion gallons of water 15 stories high racing through Santa Clarita, Saugus, Saticoy, Piru, Fillmore and Santa Paula. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
A marshy, minuscule S.F. Bay island is for sale for $75 million, with one peculiar buyer in mind
“California is well-known for its skyscraping real estate prices. So maybe it’s not surprising that the owner of Point Buckler Island — 50 acres of marshland at the edge of San Francisco Bay in Solano County — recently listed the property for $75 million. The island comes complete with two helipads and a 400-foot deep-water dock. Originally home to duck and kiteboarding clubs, the island is being marketed as a “great escape for sports gatherings or corporate events” sitting just east of the Carquinez Strait near the San Francisco Bay’s border with the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, according to the real estate listing. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
In regional water news and commentary today …
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Recent projects improve Amador Water Agency’s water treatment plant capacity
“Amador Water Agency (AWA) Directors were updated at the Thursday, September 14 regular board meeting on recent improvements to AWA’s Tanner Water Treatment Plant on Ridge Road and the outlook for meeting the county’s demand for treated water in a major portion of its service area. Follow-up analysis of the Tanner treatment plant in Sutter Creek shows that two projects – upgrading the plants electronic controls system and replacing a bottleneck in the piping between the treatment plant and treated water storage tank — improved the plant’s maximum capacity to supply treated water to the lower elevations of the county including Jackson, Sutter Creek, Amador City, Drytown, and Plymouth. While the improvement is not adequate as a long-term solution, it does allow the Agency to allocate capacity to several development projects that have been waiting. … ” Read more from the Ledger-Dispatch.
BAY AREA
Unburying the creek beneath it, a school becomes a steward
“Before the shoreline was lined with shipyards during World War II, creeks flowed through Sausalito in the North Bay—rare permanent streams in a dry state full of ephemeral ones. The trees that grew up around these creeks lent the city their name: “little willow grove,” or, in Spanish, Sausalito. But the name has long been ironic, as the creeks were forced into underground culverts in the name of progress. “The city’s development pattern was not to incorporate creeks into the urban design—but to cover them and bury them,” says Steve Moore, chair and founder of Friends of Willow Creek, a nonprofit community group that is working to bring them back. … ” Read more from Bay Nature.
Recognizing the one year anniversary of the Bay’s infamous 2022 algae bloom
“One year ago last September, our Bay and shorelines were filled with the carcasses of dead fish, and our water was tinted a murky reddish brown. The sheer size and intensity of last year’s algae bloom and fish die-off is not easy to forget. But did you notice the suspicious red color of our water this August? That’s right: on the one-year anniversary of our last algae bloom, like clockwork, reports of red, murky water from around the Bay came streaming into local Bay organizations. The species of algae was identified: Heterosigma akashiwo, the same perpetrator as last year’s bloom, meaning we still have plenty of work to do to keep our Bay waters clean and healthy. Fortunately, the extent of this most recent bloom appears to have been less severe than the last. … ” Continue reading from the Sierra Club.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
SSJID, other agencies awarded $5M in efficiency funding for local farmers
“Stockton East Water District, North San Joaquin Water Conservation District, and South San Joaquin Irrigation District have been awarded $5 million by the California Department of Food and Agriculture through the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP). The program is being administered as a block grant which will be dispersed directly to agricultural customers by the districts. Qualifying projects must improve on-farm irrigation efficiency by reducing the amount of water applied to crops and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. … ” Continue reading at the Manteca Bulletin.
Westlands sees significant success with groundwater recharge efforts
“Westlands Water District is well on its way to reaching its goal of recharging 200,000 acre feet of groundwater by early next year. The district announced Thursday that it is over halfway there, having recharged 127,000 acre feet of groundwater so far. The big picture: Westlands, the largest agricultural water district in the nation, is hoping to recharge 200,000 acre feet of groundwater by the end of the water year in February 2024. The water district set its goal in March after the region experienced one of the wettest years on record with increased surface water supply. … ” Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun.
SEE ALSO: Westlands Water District Clears Key Milestone Toward Groundwater Recharge Goal , press release from the Westlands Water District
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
In Hilary’s wake, many residents still frustrated and angry at Cathedral City’s response
“Cathedral City residents are criticizing the city for its emergency response to Tropical Storm Hilary, which devastated one neighborhood by flooding it with water and several feet of mud. The storm’s impacts on Horizon Road were among the worst of all residential areas in the Coachella Valley. Its northeast corner is located in a high-risk flood zone, but several feet of mud unexpectedly filled the street in addition to rainwater. The result was disaster: residents trapped in their homes with first responders unable to reach them through the muck, property damage as rainwater mixed with mud burst through garage doors and invaded homes, and shock that one day of heavy rainfall in the desert could result in such chaos. … ” Read more from The Desert Sun.
As California’s toxic Salton Sea shrinks, it’s raising health alarms for the surrounding community
“Damien Lopez, age 4, has symptoms that many people who live near Southern California’s Salton Sea also have. “His cough gets very wheezy. I try to control him,” his mother Michelle Lopez said. “Control” often means visiting pediatric nurse Christina Galindo at Pioneers Memorial Hospital. … A 2019 University of Southern California study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that between 20% and 22% of children in the region have asthma-like symptoms, a little more than triple the national rate for asthma, according to numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. … ” Read more from CBS News.
SAN DIEGO
Major reservoir upgrade is part of Poway water infrastructure program
“Construction on the City of Poway’s clearwell replacement is anticipated to begin this fall following the award of contract to Gateway Pacific Contractors, Inc. The contract was awarded at the Sept. 19 Poway City Council meeting. The clearwell is Poway’s major storage reservoir for water treated at the water treatment plant, prior to being distributed to Poway water customers. Replacing the aging clearwell, built in 1964, is the second phase of the Water Infrastructure Improvement Program. This program is the largest capital improvement program (CIP) in the city’s 43-year history. The first phase of the program built the infrastructure necessary to bypass the clearwell. The improvements to Poway’s water system will increase the reliability of drinking water for water customers now and for generations to come. … ” Read more from the Water News Network.
Along the Colorado River …
Audio: Lake Mead’s rising levels this summer a mirage compared to future
“Remember that boat that was sticking up out of the dried-up bed of Lake Mead last summer? Recent photos have shown the water has risen to almost cover the boat again. So hallelujah, right? Not really. Las Vegas is growing. We have two new casinos about to open. The Sphere is going to open soon. The Formula 1 race is going to draw tens if not hundreds of thousands of people. Next year, we’ll have the Super Bowl. All those people are temporary, maybe you’re thinking. And that’s true. But the eyes they open to the business opportunities here means there is going to be more development. We’ve already heard of a multi-billion development coming to the south end of the Strip. That means more people. And more water use. And as most of us know, Southern Nevada gets the smallest slice of Colorado River out of seven states that share water from the river.” Listen at Nevada Public Radio.
Tribal water infrastructure needs more than one-time fix, senators told
“The infusion of federal money for infrastructure projects is a welcome first step toward fixing deep problems with water systems on tribal lands, but it’s only a first step, an Arizona official testified Wednesday. Brian Bennon, director of the tribal water department at the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, said tribes need to make sure they have funding for operation and maintenance of the systems to keep them going, comparing it to taking care of a car. “There’s many things. I call it preventative maintenance to try to get as much … life out of the system as possible, and maybe even getting it beyond the original design life,” Bennon said in testimony to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “That takes money.” … ” Read more from Arizona Capitol Times.
Upper Basin: Water managers vote to continue conservation program, with tweaks, in 2024
“Colorado River managers on Thursday decided to continue a water conservation program designed to protect critical elevations in the nation’s two largest reservoirs. The Upper Colorado River Commission decided unanimously to continue the federally funded System Conservation Program in 2024 — but with a narrower scope that explores demand management concepts and supports innovation and local drought resiliency on a longer-term basis. This was the third of three options that commissioners had regarding SCP and whether they would continue it next year. The other options, which commissioners rejected, were to not do a program in 2024 or to maximize the program, with a focus on increasing the amount of water conserved. … ” Read more from Aspen Journalism.
In national water news today …
A novel approach for removing microplastics from water
“A new study led by Texas A&M AgriLife Research has identified what may be a novel biological approach for removing extremely small and potentially dangerous plastic particles from water. The study, called “Microplastics removal in the aquatic environment via fungal pelletization,” was headed by Dr. Huaimin Wang, a post-doctoral scientist in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology. Collaborators included Dr. Susie Dai, an associate professor in the department, and a team of researchers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service’s Northern Research Station also participated in the study, which can be found online in the September edition of Bioresource Technology Reports. “Although fungal pelletization has been studied for algae harvesting and wastewater treatment in the past decade, to the best of our knowledge, it has not yet been applied for the removal of microplastics from an aqueous environment,” Dai said. “This study examines their use for that purpose.” … ” Read more from Water Online.
Biden-Harris administration announces $7.5 billion in available financing for water infrastructure projects
“Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $7.5 billion in available Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) funding. This innovative low-interest loan program helps communities invest in drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure while saving millions of dollars and creating good-paying local jobs. To date, EPA’s WIFIA program has announced $19 billion to help finance 109 projects across the country. These projects are creating over 60,000 jobs. Today’s announcement furthers the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to ensuring all people and all communities have access to clean and safe water. “When we invest in water, we support healthy people, economic opportunity, environmental protection, and good-paying local jobs,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This new funding from the WIFIA program – coupled with President Biden’s historic $50 billion investment in water through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – bolsters EPA’s efforts to ensure communities across the country have solid water infrastructure and reliable access to safe and clean water.” … ” Read more from the EPA.
Sewage release is worse for rivers than agricultural runoff, study finds
“Rivers are the lifeblood of the planet. Essential for plants, animals and humans, clean water is increasingly being contaminated with agricultural runoff containing toxic pesticides and other contaminants. A new study by researchers at the University of Oxford has found an even greater threat to the water quality of rivers, as well as the ecosystems that rely on them: sewage discharge. In the United Kingdom, water companies’ treated wastewater is allowed to be released into rivers, as is the untreated overflow of wastewater that results from heavy rainfall, according to the University of Oxford. This practice impacts ecosystems and biodiversity, as well as human health, if the water is used for agriculture, drinking or recreation. … ” Read more from EcoWatch.
Warming climate, human impacts make better data about rivers essential
“Sept. 24 is World Rivers Day, first celebrated in 2005 following a declaration by the U.N. General Assembly that 2005-2015 would be the “Water for Life” decade. Across six continents, more than 100 countries will hold events to acknowledge the importance of the “arteries of our planet” and our need to protect them. Concern about abuse and neglect of rivers has led to an international movement to recognize rivers as living entities with fundamental rights, entitled to legal guardians. While this might sound far-fetched, it’s already happening. In 2021, the Magpie River in Canada was declared a legal person. In 2019, Bangladesh granted all its rivers the same rights as humans. New Zealand was the first country to move in this direction, enacting a law in 2017 that gives the Whanganui River the legal rights of a human. Moreover, the river is to be represented by two “guardians” in legal matters, one from the government and one from the Whanganui tribe. … ” Read more from Governing.
Summer 2023 in review: a look back at drought across the U.S. in 10 maps
“We’re just days away from turning the page from summer to fall. Drought in the United States expanded and intensified in Summer 2023, largely influenced by not only lack of precipitation, but extreme heat and evaporative demand. While the number and size of wildfires were relatively small in the western U.S. compared to recent summers, unhealthy levels of smoke still poured into the contiguous United States from record-breaking Canadian wildfires, and a wildfire in dry Maui destroyed the town of Lahaina. The maps below show how precipitation, temperature, and evaporative demand influenced drought and wildfires across the United States and Canada during Summer 2023. … ” Read more from NIDIS.
