A wrap-up of posts published on Maven’s Notebook this week …
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In California water news this week …
The Bay-Delta ecosystem is collapsing. California just unveiled rival rescue plans
“With the Bay-Delta watershed in the throes of an ecological crisis, California’s water regulators Thursday unveiled several controversial options for managing the heart of the state’s water supply. The long-awaited, nearly 6,000-page draft is part of a fiercely contentious but under-the-radar process to update the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan, with high stakes for both wildlife and water providers serving cities and millions of acres of farms. State water officials have said that existing requirements for water quality and flow through the critical but imperiled San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed have “failed to protect fish and wildlife” and must be updated “to halt and reverse the ecosystem collapse.” Several of the strategies the report evaluates would set minimum amounts of water to remain in rivers and streams, which could ultimately require water suppliers and other water users to cut back on how much they divert for people and farms. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
California wants to restore its rivers and San Francisco Bay to health. Here is its controversial plan
“California water regulators have teed up what promises to be one of the state’s biggest debates on water in years, releasing a long-anticipated proposal to revive dozens of rivers, creeks and wetlands by reining in the draws of cities and farms. The goal is nothing short of ensuring that sufficient water is flowing from the High Sierra to San Francisco Bay, to nourish vast and diverse landscapes, support fish and wildlife and halt the decline of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast and the hub of the state’s water supply. The nearly 6,000-page document released Thursday, an update to what’s known as the Bay-Delta Plan, focuses on boosting water flows, and limiting pumping, in the delta and the Sacramento River basin. A previous update, in 2018, did the same for the San Joaquin River basin, to the south. Taken together, the two updates, once implemented, provide regulatory standards for the entire Sacramento-San Joaquin River watershed, from the Oregon border to Fresno. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
SEE ALSO: State Water Board initiates public planning process for Bay-Delta Plan updates, press release from the State Water Resources Control Board
REACTIONS: Here’s what water agencies and NGOs have to say about the State Water Board’s Bay Delta Plan environmental document
Yesterday, the State Water Board released its release of its draft staff report and Substitute Environmental Document for the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan, which includes analysis of the voluntary agreements. Here’s what Metropolitan Water District, Restore the Delta and its coalition of tribes and NGOs, and the State Water Project Contractors and its coaliton of water agencies had to say. Click here to read the reactions.
One of the most intense El Niños ever observed could be forming
“A fast-forming and strengthening El Niño climate pattern could peak this winter as one of the most intense ever observed, according to an experimental forecast released Tuesday. The new prediction system suggested it could reach top-tier “super” El Niño strength, a level that in the past has unleashed deadly fires, drought, heat waves, floods and mudslides around the world. This time, El Niño is developing alongside an unprecedented surge in global temperatures that scientists say have increased the likelihood of brutal heat waves and deadly floods of the kind seen in recent weeks. Will that make El Niño’s typical extremes even more dramatic in the winter? “My answer would be — maybe,” said David DeWitt, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center. … ” Read more from the Washington Post (gift article).
It’s hard to predict what the coming El Niño will bring
“El Niño, once feared and nearly revered, has lost cachet. It poses the threat of massive, damaging storms in California and also the potential to quickly wipe out severe drought. But this periodically recurring atmospheric phenomenon in recent years has become just too unreliable to count on. This winter, a big emerging El Niño might bring Southern California deluges, perhaps destruction, as it did in the winters of 1982-83 and 1997-98. Many coastal roads, restaurants and businesses in San Diego County suffered damages in 1982-83. Statewide, damages topped $2 billion; in 1997-98, they topped $1 billion. But the coming El Niño could also be like the 2015-16 version, which was billed by some as a can’t-miss “Godzilla” that would inundate the state. Instead of a monster, that one turned out to be a mouse. California water managers were counting on that El Niño to produce, because the state was mired in a multi-year drought. But the 2015-16 El Niño mainly left the state high and drier. … ” Read more from the Voice of San Diego.
SEE ALSO: What a ‘super’ El Niño could mean for winter weather in each U.S. region, from the Washington Post
Is the San Joaquin Valley ready for its post SGMA future? Not…quite…yet
“In less than 20 years’ time, the San Joaquin Valley could become a patchwork of vast swaths of vacant, weed-filled lands interspersed with a few single-crop mega farms that employ only a small fraction of those who currently work in agriculture. Or, it could be thriving with robust solar operations, thousands of water recharge basins, interconnected wildlife habitat, cohesive towns and a smaller, but diverse and secure farming economy. The difference in those potential futures could depend on how the transition to less reliance on groundwater is managed, according to a report by the Public Policy Institute of California that was discussed during a recent conference. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Nine years in, California’s groundwater sustainability overhaul is becoming a reality
“For years, conversations about the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act – known commonly as SGMA – have largely taken a tone of speculation and even apprehension. The 2014 law, which aims to slow California’s unlimited tapping of underground aquifers, gives locally organized groundwater sustainability agencies until 2042 to overhaul pumping practices for the spectrum of groundwater users — from cities and rural communities to dairies, small farms and agricultural conglomerates. Ultimately, the consequences could be dire: the non-profit Public Policy Institute of California predicted even in the best-case scenario, as much as 500,000 acres of farmland may need to be fallowed in order to adequately reduce groundwater pumping. Now, nine years into SGMA’s rollout, public conversations are evolving from planning water-saving projects to implementing them. … ” Read more from KVPR.
Video: Managing Water and Farmland Transitions in the San Joaquin Valley
“For the past seven years, the PPIC Water Policy Center has been researching how the San Joaquin Valley can adapt to a future with less water. On September 20, we held a special half-day event on the Fresno State campus that drew together an array of growers, water managers, agency staff, and others to discuss how to best manage the changes ahead. Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval acknowledged the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act’s (SGMA) importance to the valley in his opening remarks. “We are deeply aware that water produces crops in our valley—over 250 commodities…food that cannot be produced elsewhere.” As water supplies decline, said Central Valley Community Foundation CEO Ashley Swearengin, it is key to bring all the valley’s many players to the table to hammer out coping strategies. … ” Read more and watch video from the PPIC.
SEE ALSO: Water-use challenges affecting farmers means reinventing the San Joaquin Valley, commentary from the PPIC’s Ellen Hanak and Caitlin Peterson
Is groundwater trading the future of California water?
“A summit in Fresno last week was upbeat on a dour topic: the megadrought of the American West. If the recent blockbuster report about civilization exceeding nearly all of Earth’s natural limits was harsh, the summit – thrown at Fresno State’s newest building, the Resnick Center, named after Stuart Resnick, California’s wealthiest farmer – was the more relaxed counterpart to this fact. Water district managers and policy makers talked about the future of the San Joaquin Valley’s groundwater aquifers – whose collapse has long been the poster child for an industry growing beyond the provisions of rivers and aquifers. The cream of the state’s water policy experts said their expectation of drought and climate change was rosy. At the meeting, a new vision of water in the valley emerged. … ” Read more from Fresnoland.
An important groundwater bill lands on the governor’s desk
“Earlier this month, California’s Legislature passed a slate of bills that cover a range of environmental and climate issues. Among those was Assemblymember Lori Wilson’s AB 779, a bill we helped create to improve the groundwater adjudication process for all water users. Adjudications legally determine groundwater rights but can take years and cost millions of dollars. This hurts all groundwater users, and is especially burdensome for small farmers, farmers of color, and other historically marginalized groundwater users. Assemblymember Wilson, and we, wanted to ensure those communities were not left behind in these crucial proceedings. So as students in UCLA Law’s California Environmental Legislation and Policy Clinic (Fall 2022-Spring 2023), we worked with Assemblymember Wilson’s office to help make the adjudication process more fair. … ” Read more from Legal Planet.
Will California take this small, but important step toward a more equitable water rights system?
Amanda Fencl, Western states senior climate scientist, writes, “Earlier this summer, I wrote about three bills that were poised to make long overdue changes to California’s outdated and inequitable water rights system. Whether you call it updating, modernizing, or reforming, changes to the water rights system have long been considered a political third rail—the electric kind you don’t touch. This year, one of those water rights bills, Senate Bill 389 (SB 389) made it through the gauntlet of the legislature and will become law if Governor Newsom signs it. The bill would give the State Water Resources Control Board (the Water Board) the authority to verify pre-1914 appropriative and riparian water rights. It passed by a clear majority–58-17 votes in the Assembly and 30-8 in the Senate–and most opposition was withdrawn. UCS joined a broad group of organizations in submitting a letter to Governor Newsom urging him to sign the bill. … ” Read more from the Union of Concerned Scientists.
California court dismisses last remaining lawsuit against the state’s Delta Plan
“The California Court of Appeal has dismissed the remaining appeal challenging the state’s long-term management plan for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the Delta Plan. “The Court’s decision affirms the Council’s authority and role,” said Chair Virginia Madueño. “I look forward to building stronger relationships with stakeholders to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Delta.” The appeal, dismissed on September 1, was filed following a Sacramento County Superior Court decision in favor of the Council filed on November 4, 2022.1 All suits were terminated with strong decisions in favor of the Council’s authority to develop, amend, and implement the Delta Plan. … ” Read more from the Delta Stewardship Council.
Water rights vs. fish goes to court on September 25
“Central Valley water districts subject to a state plan that diverts flows from the San Joaquin River tributaries downstream for fish are working to achieve a more holistic approach for the fishery through voluntary agreements, while also challenging the state’s flows only approach in court. Central to the issue is a plan adopted in 2018 by the California State Water Resources Control Board that requires affected water users to leave unimpaired flows of 30% to 50% in three San Joaquin tributaries—the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced rivers. The work is the first phase of the state’s water quality control plan update for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, known as the Bay-Delta plan. Districts, farmers and residents of the affected region have protested the plan, saying it would do little to restore salmon and other fish populations while cutting water supplies to the northern San Joaquin Valley. … ” Read more from the Patterson Irrigator.
Unique barrier on the Sacramento River will keep endangered fish on the right path
“Construction and diving crews are installing a new underwater barrier along a section of the Sacramento River designed to prevent endangered fish from taking a wrong turn, but it is not a physical barricade. On the Sacramento River near Walnut Grove, workers and divers on a construction barge are putting together a structure with lights that looks like a lighting grid that would hang over a rock concert. The structure, once complete, will create bubbles, make loud noises and include flashing lights. … ” Read more from KTXL.
How powerful land barons shaped the epic floods in California’s heartland
“As dark clouds massed over Kings County on the chilly morning of March 18, scores of panicked farmers and landowners packed the Board of Supervisors chambers in Hanford for a third day of emergency hearings. They were there to hurl accusations and blame and to plead with county leaders to do something to divert the floodwaters that were submerging their fields and homes, sapping their livelihoods and now threatening to wipe out the city of Corcoran and farm towns across the region. One by one, agitated farmers stood to address the supervisors. They pointed at maps and diagrams to show areas of the Tulare Lake Basin that had been inundated in past floods that now were dry, and areas that had never flooded but were now underwater. They didn’t understand what was happening with the floodwater — and why it seemed to be coursing onto farms and ranches where it had never gone before. “We’ve lost control,” one farmer shouted in exasperation. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
PUBLIC WORKSHOP: Senate Bill 122 – Protective Screens for Temporary Pump Intakes
“Newly adopted legislation related to diversion of flood flows for groundwater recharge requires that diversions use either existing diversion infrastructure or temporary pumps. Diversions using temporary pumps to divert flood flows directly from rivers or streams are required to use protective screens on intakes to minimize the impacts of diversion to fish and other aquatic life. Pursuant to Water Code section 1242.1, subdivision (e)(4), the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will conduct an online public workshop to review recommended design parameters and ranges of scenarios for deployment and use of protective screens mentioned above. In addition, representatives from the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) will provide an overview of the new Water Code provisions and resources pertaining to diversions of floodflows for groundwater recharge.” Click here for more information.
EVs are a climate solution with a pollution problem: Tire particles
“As gas-guzzling cars are replaced by their electric counterparts, tailpipe emissions are on the decline. But cars have other negative impacts on environmental health, beyond what comes out of their exhaust pipes. One of the bigger, and lesser known, problems is tire pollution — or “tire and road wear particles,” in industry terminology. Tires shed tiny particles with every rotation. Tire wear happens most dramatically during rapid acceleration, braking, and sharp turns, but even with the most conservative driving, particulate pollution is an unavoidable consequence of car use. And it’s a problem that’s poised to get worse as drivers transition to EVs. “We’re pushing for decarbonization by going to battery electric vehicles, and in doing so we’re pushing up tire wear emissions … which is going to prove difficult to solve,” said Nick Molden, founder and CEO of Emissions Analytics, a London-based company that performs independent tests on cars’ real-world tailpipe and tire emissions. … ” Read more from Grist.
To reverse a troubling trend, farmers are adding rocks to their fields
“Chris Rauch was strolling past booths at the annual ag show in Spokane last summer when he spotted a large jar full of basalt powder. A nearby sign urged him to spread it on his croplands to help improve soil pH. Rauch looked at the gray dust and shook his head. “That’s crazy,” he thought. “Why would I want to put even more rocks in my fields?” … A few weeks after the ag show, Rauch got the latest results of his soil pH tests: 5.3. He recalled the message from the ag show booth, run by a company called UNDO. The crushed rock raised soil pH levels. And it was free. His first thought was, why? It seemed too good to be true. Yet the more he read, the more it seemed legit. “You can’t beat zero,” he finally decided, and gave UNDO a call. … ” Read more from Modern Farmer.
In commentary this week …
Proposed Shasta Dam raise is bad for salmon, fishermen, tribes and taxpayers
Scott Artis, executive director of the Golden State Salmon Association, writes, “For years, the politically-connected Westlands Water District has fought to raise Shasta Dam. This debate has been renewed by House Resolution 215, introduced by California Central Valley Congressman David Valadao (R-Hanford), which would override a California law that blocks the dam raise. That project would harm salmon, California’s fishing economy and Indigenous Americans. This is a big deal for the fishing community. California’s salmon fishery is closed this year for only the third time in history. That closure affects tens of thousands of commercial and recreational fishing workers, tackle manufacturers and retailers, motel and marina employees as well as fish brokers. Fishing families on the coast, the Bay Area and along our rivers feel the impact of this closure every day. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
Can Valley farmers use water wisely & re-purpose land when needed? That’s the question
Tad Weber, Fresno Bee opinion editor, writes, “After the exceptionally wet and snowy winter that California enjoyed, it is tempting to forget that droughts that have challenged San Joaquin Valley farmers for decades. But as any grower knows, droughts are a fact of life in California’s semi-arid climate, which is now being made more so by climate change. Climate scientists say the boom-bust cycle of precipitation will continue. So it was logical that a conference held this past week at Fresno State, “Managing water and farmland transitions in the San Joaquin Valley,” drew a large crowd of growers and water district managers. The event was sponsored by the Public Policy Institute of California, a nonpartisan group that provides analysis on key issues facing the state. … ” Read more from the Fresno Bee.
Why compromise should not be a dirty word for farmers
David Eddy, editor of Meister Media Worldwide’s American Fruit Grower® magazine, writes, “Knowing my thorough immersion in water issues — I’ve certainly taken a deep dive many times in the pages of American Fruit Grower® magazine — a friend emailed me a column a few months ago at the end of the rainy season bemoaning California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s treatment of baby salmon. It was written by Los Angeles Times Political Columnist George Skelton, who has covered government and politics for 60 years. In the column, he specifically calls out almond growers, as most urban writers do. Yes, almond growers use a lot of water, but it’s nothing compared to what it costs to produce milk, meat, etc. As one Extension adviser once told me, it takes roughly one liter of water to produce a calorie of plant-derived food. … ” Read more from Growing Produce.
Is California Forever visionary or just public relations?
Josh Stephens with the California Planning & Development Report writes, “California Forever dropped from the sky two weeks ago, like a lost chapter from Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities. It promised a utopia of low-carbon emissions, a jobs-housing balance, rowhouses (!), light rail, human-scale density, and, most marvelously, diversity social equity. Exquisitely, it created fans and detractors in seemingly equal numbers. Most observers, though, probably fell in the middle, able to imagine best- and worst-case scenarios with equal vividness. Naturally, many people’s fantasies are others’ nightmares. And, after a flourish of a week or so, California Forever has receded into the fog. If it revisits us, it will likely do so in the form of lobbying, ballot measures, environmental impact reports, and lawsuits until the end of our days. So far, California Forever–the name of which sounds more like that of a cemetery than a metropolis–offers more of a lesson in public relations than in planning. … ” Read more from the California Planning & Development Report.
Yes, there was global warming in prehistoric times. But nothing in millions of years compares with what we see today
““The climate is always changing!” So goes a popular refrain from climate deniers who continue to claim that there’s nothing special about this particular moment. There is no climate crisis, they say, because the Earth has survived dramatic warming before. Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy recently exemplified misconceptions about our planet’s climate past. When he asserted that “carbon dioxide as a percentage of the atmosphere is still at a relative low through human history,” he didn’t just make a false statement (carbon dioxide concentrations are the highest they’ve been in at least 4 million years). He also showed fundamentally wrong thinking around the climate crisis. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
In regional water news this week …
Data-driven decisions: Tracking sediment during the Klamath Dam removal
“The largest dam removal in U.S. history, the deconstruction of the Klamath Dam is slated to begin this summer. The project includes four dams along the Klamath River with the first and smallest dam, Copco #2, scheduled for removal first. As each of the dams are torn down, scientists and consultants will keep a close eye on the state of the Klamath River downstream to assess the impact of undamming the river. Shawn Hinz, managing partner and environmental toxicologist with Gravity Consulting, has been involved with the Klamath Dam project for over a decade. Hinz was a part of these earlier steps, representing the academic stakeholder position as a graduate student sitting on a board of other stakeholders. Even though the decision to finally remove the dam came recently, advocacy groups have been pushing to undam the river for far longer. … ” Read more from Environmental Monitor.
Grasshoppers wreak havoc, destroy crops in North State
“Farmers in counties along the California-Oregon border have reported millions of dollars of losses from a renewed torrent of grasshoppers and Mormon crickets feeding on rangeland and irrigated crops this season. “The problem is getting worse,” said Marc Staunton, who farms in Tulelake. “As the landscape dries up, they are just continuing to spread. If you thought last year was disgusting, this year, it was unreal. “It was a plague-like amount and totally destroyed crops,” he added. Siskiyou County Agricultural Commissioner James Smith filed a request last week with the California Office of Emergency Services seeking a disaster declaration from the secretary of the state Department of Food and Agriculture. The preliminary damage to farmers in the county is estimated at $8.6 million in reported crop losses of pasture, rangeland, alfalfa and small grain crops. … ” Read more from Ag Alert.
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.
Sacramento set to activate its biggest groundwater plant. Why some might notice tap water change
“The city of Sacramento aims to activate its biggest groundwater treatment facility by mid-October, seven years after construction for the project began. Once the plant — which is located near Cosumnes River College — begins producing up to 4 million gallons of drinking water a day, people living in the Shasta neighborhood could notice their tap water change, Department of Utilities spokesperson Carlos Eliason said. Some residents could sense more of a mineral taste associated with well water compared to the treated river water the area has received, Eliason said. But while drinking water preferences depend on the person, he said the Shasta Groundwater Treatment Facility will improve the entire city’s water supply. … ” Read more from Capital Public Radio.
Groundwater cleanup of contaminated Zeneca site to begin next month
“Zeneca Inc. will begin a series of “groundwater injections” next month at the controversial Campus Bay project site in South Richmond, setting off a nine-month process to break down hazardous compounds underlying the 86-acre patch of coastal land. According to Zeneca planning documents, contractors will pump thousands of gallons of city water, reactive iron, microbes and microbe food into about 400 wells that dot the 86-acre site, which lies due west of Richmond’s Panhandle Annex neighborhood. The idea, California Department of Toxic Substances Control officials say, is that the microbes will consume a host of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, left over from a century of heavy industrial use of the site — compounds like benzene, chlorobenzene, chloroform, dichloromethane, carbon tetrachloride and vinyl chloride which can in some cases cause cancer. … ” Continue reading at Richmond Confidential.
A big update on water politics on the Monterey Peninsula.
“Across Monterey County, there are few topics more talked about or litigated than water. David Schmalz here, and I’ve covered water in most corners of the county for the better part of the last decade, and in my opinion, the topic has never been more interesting or eventful than it is right now, at least on the Monterey Peninsula. I’m going to be covering a lot of ground here—err, water, I mean—but I’ll keep it as tight as I can. There’s a lot to catch you up on. First, on Sept. 13, the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District released its draft “resolution of necessity,” a document that, if approved, is the first step in the eminent domain process for a public buyout of Cal Am’s Monterey service area. … ” Read more from Monterey Weekly.
San Luis Obispo County is witnessing an uptick of private wells drying as groundwater lowers
“Out in the rural countryside of the Arroyo Grande Mesa, on 8 acres of flowers, fruit trees, and animals, a zero-waste nonprofit ranch brings a feeling of freedom to those in the disabled community. Rancho de los Animales for the Disabled is a therapeutic, educational, and recreational ranch and is run by Beth Currier, who became a paraplegic in 1955 after she contracted polio. Currier said she found freedom among animals, especially while on the back of a horse, and she wants everyone who visits her ranch to experience that same feeling. However, taking care of the ranch, Currier said, is becoming almost impractical. Getting water to the horses of Rancho de los Animales is a lot harder than it used to be, as the ranch’s well went dry. … ” Read more from New Times SLO.
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.
Forever chemicals at former NASA lab are leaking into LA River, say watchdogs
“Two highly toxic chemicals polluting a former Nasa research site are also probably contaminating the Los Angeles River and aquifer from which the region’s agricultural growers draw their water, watchdog groups and a whistleblower charge. The Santa Susana field laboratory about 30 miles north of downtown Los Angeles is already notorious for its radioactive waste, but the site, which is owned by the federal government and Boeing, is also now suspected of leaching polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) “forever chemicals” into the water. Despite evidence of the pollution and pressure from environmental groups to act, state regulators have so far allowed Boeing to continue polluting without a cleanup or proper monitoring for the dangerous chemicals, say the groups. … ” Read more from The Guardian.
Announcements, notices, and funding opportunities …
