In California water news this weekend …
Atmospheric river storm approaches California, Pacific Northwest; 1st week of fall to see rain
“The arrival of an atmospheric river storm to California will coincide with the first week of fall. The National Weather Service said a low pressure system will help push the atmospheric river into the Bay Area and Northern California from the Pacific Northwest at the beginning of the week, bringing rain chances mostly in the North Bay. While fall begins on the West Coast late Friday night, the earliest chances of rainfall would appear to begin early Monday morning. The approaching atmospheric river is expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds to Washington, Oregon, and the upper portion of Northern California. … ” Read more from CBS San Francisco.
Video: Atmospheric river to fuel season’s first heavy rain event in Pacific Northwest early this week
“An atmospheric river will bring heavy rain to the Pacific Northwest early this week, the region’s first significant rainfall event of the season. While most of the rain will be beneficial for an area plagued by drought, burn-scar flooding and debris flows could become a concern in parts of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon.” Watch video from Fox Weather.
Early season atmospheric river to bring ‘deluge’ of rain to Northern California coast
“An early season atmospheric river is expected to bring heavy rains and strong winds across Northern California’s coast this weekend, a storm that officials are hopeful can cool off ongoing wildfires and clear long-range smoky skies. Forecasters are warning of a “deluge of rain” in California’s most northwestern corner, with the heaviest rainfall expected Sunday and Monday and a chance for showers lingering through midweek. Although flash flooding and debris flows are possible especially in burn scars, weather officials don’t expect rainfall rates to reach dangerous levels. James White, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Eureka, called the system mostly “beneficial rain.” … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Satellite launched from Vandenberg spots signs of El Niño off California coast
“Less than a year after arriving in space thanks to a rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, a satellite to monitor water on Earth has noted warmer than normal temperatures for the ocean off the California coast. The Surface Water and Ocean Topography, or SWOT, mission traveled to space in December aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in December from Space Launch Complex-4 on the South Base. Program scientists recently noted that the satellite spotted warm ocean waters attributed to the developing El Niño weather phenomenon moving northward. SWOT captured data showing rising sea surface heights off the West Coast, near the California-Oregon border, in August. … ” Read more from Yahoo News.
‘This Earth, it’s all we have’: California Coastal Cleanup brings thousands of volunteers to shorelines
“Eleven-year-old Gabriel Coleman and his friends Maarten and Merel dug through driftwood piled on the shoreline under the Dumbarton Bridge, doggedly on the hunt for pieces of plastic and other debris to fill their white trash bags. “With teamwork-makes-the-dream-work, we’ve been finding big pieces and small pieces all over,” Gabriel proudly explained. The trio from Newark was among thousands of volunteers who turned out Saturday for the 39th annual California Coastal Cleanup at 695 beaches, lakes, creeks and rivers throughout the state — including dozens of sites across every county in the Bay Area. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
SEE ALSO: Water cleanups taking place across California, from KTXL
Why people are skeptical of green initiatives — like water-saving washing machines
“Like a lot of western American cities, Aurora, Colo., encourages people to save water. It even pays homeowners up to $3,000 to replace their lawns with something less thirsty. But when one business owner there took it upon himself to be more water efficient, his customers nearly abandoned him. Colorado Public Radio’s Rachel Estabrook has this story about the psychology of water conservation. … ” Read or listen at KUNC.
Podcasts …
WE GROW CALIFORNIA: Food grows where water flows
Darcy and Darcy welcome Mike Wade, Executive Director of the California Food and Water Coalition (CFCW). CFWC is a non-profit, educational organization formed in 1989, providing fact-based information on farm water issues to the public. The organization works to help consumers, elected representatives, government officials and the media connect California water and our food supply. Mike shares with Darcy and Darcy the work CFCW has done, what they are working on now, the importance of social media influencers, and how things have changed.
FISH WATER PEOPLE: What water wants, with Erica Gies and Nick Bouwes
How are people around the world interacting with water? We talk with award-winning journalist and National Geographic Explorer Erica Gies about her book “Water Always Wins: Thriving in an Age of Drought and Deluge”. In the Netherlands, we explore how the Dutch are helping to lead the way on progressive floodplain management techniques. In the Central Valley, we touch on how climate change is influencing groundwater supplies. We also bring beavers into the conversation! Nick Bouwes, an aquatic ecologist, shares his experiences at the forefront of efforts to re-introduce beavers back into watersheds here in the Western U.S.
KZYX: Mendocino: Dining Tables and the Water Table
Over one hundred residents packed the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday to support outdoor dining and the retention of the tents that many restaurants and bars constructed to provide social distancing during the pandemic. The tents were allowed due to the state’s public health emergency status. Now that the state’s emergency has expired there has been an effort to pressure the restaurants to remove the tents. Supervisor Williams asked the board to extend the tents use for one year to consider both the lack of a reliable water source and the historic aspect of the village of Mendocino.
WATER IS A MANY SPLENDOR’ED THING: How Much is Too Much
Washington Department of Ecology focuses on protecting the natural environment in the state of Washington. A mission of this sort must deal with water in nearly every situation that the department is active. One of the rapidly growing concerns in the state of Washington is the drilling and use of permit exempt wells. Owners of these wells sometimes sidestep the rigorous permits needed to obtain a more formal water right in the state. Water is a Many Splendor’ed Thing brings you another water relationship that has a personally significant impact to your life. Produced by Steven Baker, Bringing People Together to Solve Water Problems, water@operationunite.co 530-205-6388
In regional water news this weekend …
NORTH COAST
Three NorCal Tribes announce nation’s first Indigenous Ocean Protection Area
“The following press release was issued by Lopez-Wagner Strategies on behalf of the Resighini Tribe of Yurok People, Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation and Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria: It’s an unprecedented day for Indigenous sovereignty and Indigenous-led coastal conservation as three federally-recognized California Tribal Nations announce the Yurok-Tolowa-Dee-ni’ Indigenous Marine Stewardship Area – the first-ever ocean protection area designated by Tribal governments in the United States. … ” Read more from the Lost Coast Outpost.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
South Lake resident continues to fight Tahoe Conservancy, still wants to see project success
“The South Lake Tahoe resident who alleges his home was damaged by flooding caused by a California Tahoe Conservancy hopes the lawsuit he filed against the agency is quickly and peacefully wrapped up. The Conservancy acquired the Upper Truckee Marsh land between the Tahoe Keys and the Al Tahoe Neighborhood in the 1980s, although work didn’t begin on the project until the 2000s. The project ramped up in 2021 to dig new waterways through the marsh, place check dams along the waterways and put more water flow into Trout Creek. The goal of this work is to rewet the marshland so it can act as a natural filter for water flowing into Lake Tahoe, helping to increase lake clarity. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
‘Very uncommon’: New invasive species found in Lake Tahoe
“In an announcement that will come as a disappointment to conservationists, a Tahoe environmental organization announced on Thursday that invasive New Zealand mudsnails, or NZMS, were recently found in the weeds along Lake Tahoe’s shoreline. While studying one of the lake’s other invasive species, divers found tiny New Zealand mudsnails clinging to underwater plants. Now, government and local organizations are putting into effect a “rapid response protocol” to determine the extent of the infestation and create an interagency plan for managing their spread. According to Jesse Patterson, chief strategy officer for the League to Save Lake Tahoe, finding a new invasive species in the lake is “very uncommon.” There hasn’t been a new invasive species detected in at least 15 years, he says, which suggests holes in Tahoe’s current boat inspection program. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
Prescribed fires around Lake Tahoe scheduled to resume Monday
“The Tahoe Fire & Fuels Team (TFFT) fall-prescribed fire program may begin as early as Monday, Sep. 25, 2023. If conditions and weather are favorable, California State Parks is scheduled to conduct understory burning on approximately 80 acres over the next three weeks in Burton Creek and Sugar Pine Point state parks and the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit may begin burning piles near Fallen Leaf Lake. Smoke will be present. … ” Read more from South Tahoe Now.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Oroville’s annual Salmon Festival celebrates revival of chinook salmon despite drought impacts
“Oroville’s beloved Salmon Festival is back Sat., Sep. 23, for the 29th year. The event is kicking off with a salmon dinner on the levee near the Oroville Convention Center Friday evening. The menu, catered by chefs at the Union Restaurant, of course, includes salmon. The event is hosted by the Oroville Docent Association, with proceeds benefitting them as well. “It’s a great time to get together with the community and be on the Feather River which is so beautiful this time of year,” said Heather McCafferty, cultural facilities curator for Oroville. … ” Read more from KRCR.
Army Corps begins improvements to Folsom Dam Dikes 1-6
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District has begun site preparation at Folsom Dam Dike 1 in Granite Bay, California, so contractors can raise the site up to 3.5 feet as part of the Folsom Dam Raise project. The prime contractor for Dikes 1-6, Maloney-Odin Joint Venture, has placed security fencing and begun clearing and grubbing work on the Dike 1 site. Fenced areas onsite are closed to the public, but the dike will remain passable for pedestrian and bicycle traffic, with some limitations. … ” Read more from the Army Corps of Engineers.
Efforts to attract salmon to Putah Creek come early this year
“Actions to bring spawning salmon into Putah Creek will start earlier than ever this fall. The Los Rios Check Dam boards will be pulled on Oct. 18. “This is the earliest since we started doing the (salmon) pulse flows in 2000,” said Max Stevenson, the streamkeeper for the Lower Putah Creek Coordinating Committee and the Solano County Water Agency. “The salmon are starting to show up in October, and really start coming into the system by mid-October,” Stevenson said. By pulling the boards early, the fish are not just waiting around and can get to the spawning grounds on the creek. … ” Read more from the Daily Reporter.
NAPA/SONOMA
Atmospheric-river-like storm to bring first rain in months to Sonoma County
“North Bay residents will experience their first taste of fall storms beginning Sunday night when a strong atmospheric-river-like storm will bring the first bit of rain since early summer. Areas of Sonoma County farther north, such as Cloverdale and Healdsburg, are expected to receive up to an inch of rainfall, said Dalton Behringer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Farther south, including Santa Rosa and Petaluma, may expect up to 1/4- to 1/2-inch of rain, he said. … ” Continue reading at the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
Delayed Sonoma County harvest set to play out over next frenzied weeks
“With cool weather and above-average rains this year delaying the grape harvest, winemakers are looking anxiously to October, expecting a frantic sprint to pick before November rains arrive. “October is going to be insane,” said Justin Seidenfeld of Healdsburg’s Rodney Strong Vineyards. “We’re going to go nuts. Everything is going to be ready to be picked at the same time.” Winemakers and growers across Sonoma County agreed with the frenzied forecast for October. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
The Napa Valley Climate Connection: Preserving our marshes is a key climate strategy
“Let’s talk about marsh, a type of wetland where the dominant plant species are herbaceous, like grasses and sedges, and water usually covers the ground. Marshes are biodiversity hotspots, but they also serve important ecological roles. Marshes slow storm surges and soil erosion, and, crucially, are a fantastic carbon sink. Trees and forests capture carbon from our atmosphere, but seasalt wetlands sequester carbon 10 times faster than tropical forest, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). A damaged marsh cannot capture carbon at this rate and can release its stored carbon into the atmosphere. Nor can a damaged wetland mitigate the effects of flooding as it should, providing a buffer between the ocean and our cities. A balanced marshland is a tremendous resource for us all. … ” Read more from the Napa Register.
BAY AREA
Storm to bring rain, winds to the Bay Area. Here’s a timeline of impacts
“A deep area of low pressure will raise a chance of showers in the Bay Area next week, including what will be the first measurable rainfall for parts of the region since spring. Starting Sunday evening, stormy conditions are expected along large stretches of the Pacific Northwest and far Northern California, including heavy downpours and gusty conditions through Monday and Tuesday. The bulk of these impacts will bypass the Bay Area, but brief rain bands and blustery conditions are possible in select cities. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
CENTRAL COAST
Log jam changes course of Big Sur River
“In Big Sur, a substantial log jam from the previous winter has altered the course of the Big Sur River. This development is raising concerns as we approach the upcoming winter. This log jam is near the St. Francis of the Redwoods church and has changed the course of the river, causing it to flow against a concrete barrier installed to protect Highway 1 from erosion. Ara Azhderian from the Monterey County Water Resources agency says “You get a raging storm through here and clearly Caltrans worries are that that water is getting into those cracks for that protective barrier and ultimately can just erode that out and the highway isn’t too much further.” … ” Read more from KSBY.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
California’s tallest bridge’s connection to some of the water that flows out of faucets in Manteca
“The 2,428-foot long Foresthill Bridge carrying Highway 49 across the American River Canyon some 730 feet below is California’s tallest bridge. The bridge wouldn’t exist today if it weren’t for the eventually aborted plans to build Auburn Dam. That’s because the dam would have flooded the existing Highway 49 river crossing where the bridge was most of the time a dozen feet above the water. And the Auburn Dam likely would have been constructed if the proposed New Melones Dam on the Stanislaus River hadn’t irked Jerry Meral, Rob Caughlan, David Oke, and David Kay. … ” Read more from the Manteca Bulletin.
Late harvest may push irrigation end to Oct. 29
“South Joaquin Irrigation District may end its irrigation season on Oct. 29. That is what staff is recommending to the SSJID board when they meet Tuesday at 9 a.m. at the district office, 11011 East Highway 120. The recommendation reflects a heavy water year, harvests that are being delayed two to three weeks due to spring storms, and forecasts leaning toward a wetter than normal new water year starting Oct. 1 … ” Read more from the Manteca Bulletin.
Valley agencies in a race against winter and a fast-approaching state deadline to repair flood damage
“All across Tulare County, the race is on to repair flood-damaged infrastructure before an anticipated El Niño winter and an even more looming expiration of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order that relaxed permitting for levee work and debris clean up. The work has lagged, though, as creeks and rivers are still flowing or the ground is still too soggy for heavy equipment. Because of that, some agencies are seeking an extension of Newsom’s executive order, which expires Nov. 1. That order, issued Aug. 4, suspended lake and streambed alteration regulations under the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and limited water quality certifications that would delay permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the California Environmental Quality Act. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Audio: Why are homes becoming swampland near Lake Isabella?
“Last fall, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finished a $300-million, multi-year reconstruction of the dams on Lake Isabella. But for months now, according to the non-profit news outlet SJV Water, nearby residents have reported significant amounts of water seeping out of the lake’s auxiliary dam. In this interview, KVPR’s Kerry Klein spoke with Lois Henry, editor and CEO of SJV Water, about what residents are reporting and how the Army Corps of Engineers has responded.” Listen at KVPR.
Kern River: “Best kept secret” demystified through technology
“There’s a new way to explore the Kern River and it can all be done from the comfort of your own home. The nonprofit Kern River Parkway Foundation has sponsored a visual mapping of the Kern River. Volunteers set out along the river on the parkway’s bike path and down some of the river in a kayak equipped with GPS and 360-degree cameras to capture the river for Google Maps Street View. “I really felt like the river needed to be demystified for local residents,” said Matt Mayry, technical volunteer with the foundation who kayaked the river for the mapping project. “It really is Bakersfield’s slice of heaven that most people don’t know about.” … ” Read more from SJV Water.
EASTERN SIERRA
Interagency collaboration continues to protect California Gull nesting habitat at Mono Lake
“On Saturday, September 16, an intrepid group of Mono Lake volunteers, Mono Lake Committee staff, and Inyo National Forest employees teamed up to pull invasive weeds on Twain Islet. Twain is key nesting habitat for California Gulls, and in the past decade invasive species have started negatively impacting the gulls’ nesting productivity. One shrub in particular, Bassia hyssopifolia, is extremely harmful because it leaves behind a large dry plant skeleton that stays rooted in place for years. The Bassia shrubs interlock with each other and with previous years’ skeletons as they grow, eventually forming an impenetrable, waist-deep thicket. … ” Read more from the Mono Lake Committee.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Southern Los Cerritos Wetlands, in Seal Beach, set for restoration with $31 million grant
“A portion of the Los Cerritos Wetlands, a 500-acre complex of critical habitat for native wild and plant life, is set for restoration with help from a State Coastal Conservancy grant — after decades of work by local advocates to preserve the area. The state agency recently awarded a $31.8 million grant to the Los Cerritos Wetland Authority — a joint powers agency comprising the cities of Long Beach and Seal Beach, the state conservancy itself, and the California Rivers and Mountain Conservancy — to get the first phase of the decades-in-the-making project underway. The history of the Los Cerritos Wetlands is complex and dates back thousands of years, with the Gabrielino-Tongva Indian Tribe, now known as the San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians, as its ancestral inhabitants. … ” Read more from the OC Register.
Along the Colorado River …
Process starts for new era managing Colorado River
“Stakeholders sharing the Colorado River have started sending their water policy wish lists to the Bureau of Reclamation as they negotiate new river use guidelines. The current 2007 Colorado River guidelines – set to expire in 2026 – created strategies to conserve water in drought conditions, innovating solutions such as allowing states to earn water credits and determining an allocation system based on Lake Mead’s water levels. Sixteen years later, the Southwest is facing its worst drought in over 1,200 years. Lake Mead, the main reservoir, lost 2.4 million acre feet of water between 2006 and 2023, according to Bureau data. An acre-foot of water can serve one to two average households per year. The current combined capacity of Lake Mead and Lake Powell is only 36%. … ” Read more from the Arizona Capitol Times.
Colorado River solutions should include cutting water consumption, including in Colorado
“What does a durable solution to the crisis on the Colorado River look like? According to Andy Mueller, general manager of the Colorado River District, it’s a future with less water. And that’s not just for the lower basin states of the Colorado River. Colorado water users need to look at how to use less, too, he said. Mueller spoke Friday at the Colorado River District’s annual water seminar in Grand Junction. The annual seminar is looking at the river’s future, drought policy and perspectives from Colorado’s river neighbors. A durable solution must be workable regardless of the political party in power, one that meets all the needs of all communities, and avoids creating winners and losers, which Mueller said is exactly what has happened over the last 100 years with the Colorado River compact and other agreements. … ” Read more from Colorado Politics.
