A wrap-up of posts published on Maven’s Notebook this week …
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In California water news this week …
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.
Will a pending water rights bill on Gov. Newsom’s desk be a game changer in California water? It depends
“A water rights bill that made it through the Legislature this year is, arguably, a much weakened version of its original form, but the fact that it addresses senior rights at all is a significant step, according to experts. Senate Bill 389, which clarifies the state Water Resources Control Board’s ability to investigate senior water rights, passed both the Assembly and Senate as of September 12. The bill, authored by Senator Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica,) originally faced an onslaught of opposition from the agriculture industry, with about 200 agencies and organizations that came out against the bill. But after lawmakers worked with the opposition and committed to a significant reworking of the bill, SB 389 sailed through both houses and is expected to become law. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
DAN WALTERS: Water rights reformers scored only a minor victory in the Legislature
“A centerpiece of California’s perpetual political and legal wrangling over allocation of water is the complex array of rights that stretch back to the earliest years of statehood in the 19th century. Simply put, those who claimed water before 1914, when the state assumed legal control, have “senior rights” that traditionally have entitled them to virtually unlimited supplies even when other users face cutbacks during drought. The state Water Resources Control Board has made occasional efforts to curtail diversions by senior rights holders when supplies are tight but its legal right to do so is unclear with water rights in conflict with other laws declaring the larger public’s interest in overseeing “beneficial” water use. … ” Read more from Dan Walters at Cal Matters.
California halts some Arrowhead water bottling activities
“The California State Water Resources Control Board on Tuesday issued a cease-and-desist order against Arrowhead parent company BlueTriton Brands, stopping some of its water-bottling operations in San Bernardino County. However, the board’s unanimous decision has no effect on the Connecticut-based company’s water-diversion activities in that area for other purposes, some of which include bottling. Tuesday’s board action stems from complaints received between 2015 and 2017 against BlueTriton’s predecessor company, Nestlé Waters North America. Those complaints said the diversion of water from the Strawberry Creek watershed without a valid right, unreasonable use of water, and incorrect reporting of those diversions, among other issues. The cease-and-desist order states that BlueTriton has no rights for diverting water through certain tunnels and boreholes for its “Arrowhead Brand 100% Mountain Spring Water” bottling activities. … ” Continue reading from the Courthouse News Service.
SEE ALSO:
- THIS JUST IN … State Water Board requires BlueTriton to immediately cease unlawful diversions in San Bernardino Mountains, press release from the State Water Resources Control Board
- Water Board upholds “cease and desist”; says company has no rights to spring water used in its Arrowhead bottled water brand, from SJV Water
Hydropower delays pose grid threat as permits lapse
“When the operator of the nation’s tallest dam applied for a new federal permit in 2005, few expected the process to drag on for more than a decade. It’s still not done. California’s Oroville Dam is among a dozen major hydroelectric projects that have been waiting over 10 years to receive a long-term permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The sluggish process is fueling uncertainty about the future of a key source of clean power that has bipartisan support in Congress — but that faces new challenges as the climate warms. “We’ve been in this patient mode for 17 years, waiting for the license issuance. We’re kind of just tired of it, to be frank,” said David Pittman, the mayor of Oroville, a small city in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains located directly downstream of the dam. … ” Read more E&E News.
‘Unprecedented times’ threaten to bring down historic California industry
“On summer days in Half Moon Bay’s Pillar Point Harbor, people usually line up to buy king salmon direct from the source. But with the California salmon fishing season closed for the first time since 2009, the only kind for sale on Thursday was frozen, from Alaska. “Once you eat the wild salmon, you stop buying them from the supermarket because the taste is totally different,” said customer Valeria Fedotova of Pacifica, who is a regular during the salmon season but comes only occasionally now that nothing local is available. The salmon season that usually runs from May to October was closed because of a cascade of issues starting with the drought, which impacted this year’s fish when they were babies three years ago. The closure also follows several limited seasons for Dungeness crab fishing, another mainstay that historically took place from November to June, which could potentially be shortened again in the upcoming months. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
SEE ALSO: Bay Area commercial fishers struggling under weight of recent catch restrictions, from KTVU
How pollution from dry cleaners left California sitting on cancer-linked ‘time bombs’
“The deep, crystal blue waters of Lake Tahoe are the iconic centerpiece of one of California’s most famed recreation areas. A local water provider is among the biggest cheerleaders of the lake’s legendary clarity, boasting this on its website: “Snow falls in winter, melts in spring and travels through a vast network of groundwater aquifers to Lake Tahoe,” the South Lake Tahoe Public Utility District says. “By pumping water from these aquifers, the South Lake Tahoe area has some of the tastiest and purest water in California.” But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Investigations over several years have found that even the “purest” groundwater is not immune to contamination from a carcinogenic chemical long used by a common business operation found in towns and cities across the state: dry cleaners. … ” Read more from the San Luis Obispo Tribune. | Read via the Sacramento Bee. | Watch video from the Sacramento Bee.
NASA tech lets scientists see snow-water through the trees
“NASA scientists are testing a technology that could more accurately measure water stored in snow as seen from a satellite in orbit. Melting snow provides much of the water that the western United States depend on for agriculture and power. But warming winters due to climate change led to decreased seasonal snowpacks high up in the Rockies and Sierra Nevada mountains. That in turn affects the volume of water that travels downriver to irrigate crops and turn hydroelectric turbines. “If you take out the seasonal snowpack, you can essentially forget about all the agricultural products that we grow in California, which feed a large portion of this country,” said Batuhan Osmanoglu, a research physical scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Osmanoglu is the principal investigator on the Snow Water Equivalent Synthetic Aperture Radar and Radiometer, or SWESARR, instrument, built to track the amount of water in those seasonal snowpacks from above. … ” Read more from NASA.
Road hazard: Evidence mounts on toxic pollution from tires
“For two decades, researchers worked to solve a mystery in West Coast streams. Why, when it rained, were large numbers of spawning coho salmon dying? As part of an effort to find out, scientists placed fish in water that contained particles of new and old tires. The salmon died, and the researchers then began testing the hundreds of chemicals that had leached into the water. A 2020 paper revealed the cause of mortality: a chemical called 6PPD that is added to tires to prevent their cracking and degradation. When 6PPD, which occurs in tire dust, is exposed to ground-level ozone, it’s transformed into multiple other chemicals, including 6PPD-quinone, or 6PPD-q. The compound is acutely toxic to four of 11 tested fish species, including coho salmon. Mystery solved, but not the problem, for the chemical continues to be used by all major tire manufacturers and is found on roads and in waterways around the world. … ” Read more from Yale e360.
Microplastics from tires contribute heavily to waterways pollution
“A new study finds that tire wear particles were the most prevalent contributors to microplastics in urban stormwater runoff, according to a press release from Griffith University. Published in Environmental Science & Technology, the study showed that in stormwater runoff during rain approximately 19 out of every 20 microplastics collected were tire wear particles with anywhere from 2 to 59 particles per liter of water. “Pollution of our waterways by microplastics is an emerging environmental concern due to their persistence and accumulation in aquatic organisms and ecosystems,” said lead author Shima Ziajahromi, a research fellow at the Australian Rivers Institute. “Stormwater runoff, which contains a mixture of sediment, chemical, organic and physical pollutants, is a critical pathway for microplastics to washed off from urban environments during rain and into local aquatic habitats.” … ” Read more from Stormwater Solutions.
NOW AVAILABLE: 2010 California Motor Vehicle Brake Friction Material Law (Brake Pad Law) – Update Report
“The Brake Pad Legislative Report, recently released by The Department of Toxic Substances Control and the State Water Resources Control Board, documents widespread compliance with the 2010 California Motor Vehicle Brake Friction Material Law (Brake Pad Law) and a subsequent reduction in aquatic pollution. The Brake Pad Law limits the amount of copper and other toxic substances allowed in brake pads in order to reduce the amount of these substances entering California’s streams, rivers, lakes, and marine environment. Copper is toxic to many aquatic organisms, and vehicle brake pads are a major source of copper pollution in urban runoff. … ” Continue reading from the State Water Resources Control Board.
DWR releases California Water Plan 2023 for public comment
“From severe, multi-year droughts to sudden flooding, California is experiencing the impacts of the intensifying climate crisis. To better prepare and plan for a future with climate extremes, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has released the Public Review Draft of California Water Plan Update 2023. California Water Plan Update 2023 envisions a future where: “All Californians benefit from water resources that are sustainable, resilient to climate change, and managed to achieve shared values and connections to our communities and the environment.” To tackle this ambitious mission, California Water Plan Update 2023 focuses on three intersecting themes: addressing the urgency of climate change, strengthening watershed resilience, and achieving equity in water management. … ” Read more from the Department of Water Resources.
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.
Every angler can help control aquatic invasive species
Professional fisherman Ish Monroe writes, “I started fishing tournaments when I was 14 years old. I had a passion for competing and wanted to make it my living. In 1997, when I was 22, Bassmaster came out West and I qualified for their pro bass fishing tour. It was right then that I put everything I owned into storage and never looked back. As a pro angler for almost the last three decades, I’ve met a lot of great people, and heard from parents how much it meant to their children to see someone with a similar look and background in this sport. Because fishing is not only my livelihood, but my passion (I love to saltwater fish for fun, and just got back from an offshore tuna fishing excursion), I pay attention to threats to angling in America. One of the biggest, least understood, and most difficult to address threats arrived in this country a long time ago. I’m talking about aquatic invasive species (AIS). … ” Continue reading from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.
The summer of 2023 was California’s coolest in more than a decade
“The past summer was the hottest ever in the Northern Hemisphere. In fact, scientists announced last week that June, July and August this year were the warmest on record globally, confirming that the horrific heat waves in many places were as awful as they seemed. But, as you’re probably already aware, the summer didn’t bring record-breaking heat to California. Some daily temperature records were broken in July in Palm Springs, Anaheim and Redding, but overall, the Golden State actually enjoyed its coolest summer since 2011, said Dan McEvoy, a researcher with the Western Regional Climate Center. That’s a particularly big relief after three consecutive summers that all ranked among our 10 most sizzling on record. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
End of 2023 legislative session highlights
“The 2023 California legislative session concluded on September 14, 2023. This article highlights new bills pertaining to water rights, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and emissions on the consumer and industry levels, as well as bills that are being held over. … ” Read more from Somach Simmons & Dunn.
In commentary this week …
AG ALERT COMMENTARY: Anti-farming agenda blocks vineyard in Napa Valley
Peter Nissen, president of Nissen Vineyard Services and president of the Napa County Farm Bureau, and Ryan Klobas, CEO of Napa County Farm Bureau, write, “Napa Valley is an agricultural destination known worldwide for its wineries, vineyards and picturesque landscape. The farmers of Napa Valley are devoted to this land. They are committed to world-class agricultural standards and to their roles as stewards of the land by embracing sustainability and environmentally sound practices. Yet last month, our community witnessed a disturbing development. For the first time in this famous wine region, a vineyard project fully compliant with Napa County’s strict land-use rules was denied. The proposed Le Colline Vineyard, a modest-scale project in the works for nine years, fell victim to anti-agriculture stereotypes peddled by local activists and an out-of-state interest group. Backers of the project, which includes a 20.55-acre vineyard on an 88.3-acre property, pledged to preserve vast forest acreage, plant additional conifer trees, increase erosion protections and operate the vineyard with net-zero carbon emissions. … ” Read more from Ag Alert.
Is the disaster in Libya coming soon to an aging dam near you?
“The collapse of two dams in Libya, unleashing torrential floodwaters that left at least 3,000 people dead and over 4,200 still missing, was both predicted and preventable. And they won’t be the last big dams to collapse unless we remove and repair some of the aging and obsolete structures that are long past their expiration date. … Details are still emerging, but the Libya dam collapses appear to have been caused by poor maintenance, and by poor monitoring of reservoirs that were overwhelmed by a huge rainstorm. Critical warnings were issued last year about the dams’ deteriorated state and the repairs needed to avert such a scenario, yet no action was taken. Similar disasters are waiting to happen around the world. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
In regional water news this week …
Reclamation prevails in lawsuit against Klamath Drainage District
“An irrigation district in the Klamath Project can no longer divert water from the Klamath River under a state-issued water right without approval from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, a federal judge has determined. Reclamation sued the Klamath Drainage District in July 2022 for taking water from the river despite curtailments intended to protect endangered fish. The 2022 irrigation season was severely hampered in the project following several consecutive years of drought. Reclamation allotted just 62,000 acre-feet of water from Upper Klamath Lake for irrigators, about 14% of full demand, including zero water for districts with junior rights. … ” Read more from the Capital Press.
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.
A generational project to restore a mile-long length of the Carmel River is well on its way.
“In 1883, two years after he created Hotel Del Monte, railroad baron Charles Crocker facilitated the construction, near Cachagua, of the so-called Chinese Dam – the Carmel River’s first – which aimed to provide 400 acre-feet of water annually to his hotel. The San Clemente Dam – which sought to provide water to the Monterey Peninsula – followed in 1921, and the Los Padres Dam, which was built in 1949 and is the only one left, sought to do the same. Downstream, meanwhile, along the river’s banks, homes, ag fields and golf courses cropped up, encroaching on the river and narrowing its banks, sometimes with manmade fortifications. The result is a river that is tightly constrained and largely kept out of its historical floodplain except in years of deluge, a natural process that for adjacent property owners can be a disaster. There is a plan in the works, years in the making, though not yet quite near the finish line: the Rancho Cañada Floodplain Restoration Project. … ” Read more from Monterey Weekly.
PPIC Report: Managing Water and Farmland Transitions in the San Joaquin Valley
“Successful implementation of the 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) is vital to the long-term health of the San Joaquin Valley’s communities, agriculture, environment, and economy. But the transition will be challenging. Even with robust efforts to augment water supplies through activities like groundwater recharge, significant land fallowing will be necessary. How the valley manages that fallowing will be paramount to protecting the region’s residents—including the growers and rural, low-income communities who will be most directly impacted by the changes. With coordinated planning and robust incentives, the valley can navigate the difficult water and land transitions coming its way and put itself on a path to a productive and sustainable future. … ” Read more from the PPIC.
CV-SALTS: Salt and nitrate control programs breaking new ground
“More than mid-way through 2023, both the Salt and Nitrate Control Programs are both entering new territory. The Salt Control Program is developing an innovative framework and data management tools in its long-term effort to assess and solve one of the Central Valley’s most challenging water quality issues. The Nitrate Control Program is also working with scientists on a new framework to help them understand nitrate contamination sources and long-term solutions in the area. Its Management Zones are also simultaneously readying their implementation plans for public comment, launching Priority 2 Basin coverage, and continuing to work on outreach, water testing, and delivery for families in need. … ” Continue reading this update from CV-SALTS.
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.
Army Corps was unprepared for amount of seepage from Isabella Dam that is now swamping residents
“Landowners and residents who live in front of the Auxiliary Dam at Lake Isabella are being swamped by “seepage” coming through the earthen dam that is ruining septic systems, causing sinkholes, clogging the area with weeds and breeding swarms of mosquitoes. They’ve tried working with the Army Corps of Engineers, which recently rebuilt the Auxiliary and main dams at a cost of nearly $300 million, but say they are getting stonewalled. Ironically, problematic seepage under the Auxiliary Dam was one of the main reasons for the massive, years-long improvement project that just was completed in October 2022. A key component of that rebuild was to better capture and manage seepage, according to the project’s environmental documents. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Ridgecrest: Water District board unwilling to voice support for Groundwater Authority imported water pipeline
“At the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority board meeting on Wednesday, the board discussed a pivotal decision their representative will need to make at the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority board meeting. The IWVGA needs to vote on which funding source to use for its imported water pipeline, and the Water District representative is one of the five voting members of the IWVGA board. However, at least two of the Water District board members thought the best course of action would be to abstain from the vote, because voting for either funding source would imply that the Water District supports the pipeline to import water from the Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency, which is IWVGA’s plan. … ” Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent.
Announcements, notices, and funding opportunities …
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: Request for Proposals for 2024 Nonpoint Source Grant Program
NOW AVAILABLE: Nitrate Control Program, Management Zone Implementation Plans
NOTICE of 180-Day Temporary Permit Application T033391 – Sutter County (corrected)
