In California water news today …
Finding the most important spot in California’s water story
“Brett Baker grew up on a pear farm near the Delta town of Cortland. He’s also a water lawyer; he’s represented the city of Stockton and local Delta water agencies for years. Good luck for us, he owns a boat. We meet him in mid-March, at a dock on Brannan Island, just outside of the town of Rio Vista, about 50 miles northeast of Oakland. Baker has challenged the state multiple times to ensure the quality of the Delta water supply. The Delta is home to millions of dollars of infrastructure, railways, aqueducts, pipelines, that all depend upon the maintenance of our levee system. And by and large it’s something that affects everybody in our state. … ” Read transcript or listen at KALW.
NCAR experimental prediction system calls for a super El Niño this winter
“Current El Niño conditions are likely to develop into one of the strongest events on record — comparable to the major El Niño of 1997-98 — according to an experimental prediction system developed for research purposes by the National Science Foundation’s National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). “Our forecast system has shown that it can do a remarkably good job of accurately hindcasting past El Niño events when we’ve tested it using historical data, which gives us high confidence in this forecast,” said NCAR scientist Stephen Yeager, who helped lead the modeling effort. … ” Read more from NCAR.
The myth of normal river flow: Drought, floods, and management of California’s rivers
“Is California still experiencing drought? Even after a winter of record rainfall and snowpack, followed by a tropical storm, this is still an important question. And if you read the headlines, the answer is…yes and no. Although drought has been declared officially over, unsustainable groundwater pumping and overallocation of surface water leads to water deficits that persist, stressing rural communities, urban water supplies, and ecosystems. So even in this year of abundant rainfall and snowpack, water managers and river ecologists are still thinking about drought. In fact, drought conditions can be thought of as the base case, or the more common of two extremes that tend to drive management action in California. As climate change increases frequency and severity of both drought and flood in California (Swain et al. 2018), water managers must continuously plan for both very dry and very wet conditions. … ” Read more from the California Water Blog.
Drying of water wells in Central Valley can affect communities’ drinking water in California, research warns
“The recent report warned of the alarming drying of groundwater wells in California due to groundwater pumping, especially in Central Valley. The decline of wells can cause a significant problem for farmers, communities and access to drinking water. California has experienced prolonged megadrought due to dry and warm conditions. Last year, the lakes and reservoirs suffered from low water levels, causing a significant impact on the economy and water supplies. In addition, the excessive groundwater pumping has affected the significant water wells in California, especially in Central Valley. While there is a landmark law (2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act), the problem of continuous pumping could dry the wells. … ” Read more from Nature World News.
Weather events have reduced the hydropower forecast by 6% this year
“Weather events in the U.S. Northwest this past spring and summer led to lower water supply, prompting us to reduce our forecast of U.S. hydropower generation by 6% this year compared with last year. About one-half of the country’s hydropower is generated in the Northwest. Precipitation that accumulated in the Northwest over last fall and winter provided the region with a plentiful water supply outlook for the summer months, with near- to above-average levels by the beginning of April. However, above-normal temperatures in May in the Northwest melted snow rapidly, resulting in a significant loss of water supply, measured as Snow Water Equivalent in higher elevations. With less water available, the region generated 24% less hydropower in the first half of this year than during the same period in 2022. This year, we expect 19% less hydropower generation in the Northwest than in 2022. … ” Read more from Clean Technica.
“A setup for disaster”: California legislation requiring companies to pay for oil and gas well cleanup in limbo
“The California Legislature recently passed a bill that would provide the state’s taxpayers some of the strongest protections in the nation against having to pay for the cleanup of orphaned oil and gas wells. But Gov. Gavin Newsom has not indicated if he will sign it. AB1167 would require companies that purchase idle or low-producing wells — those at high risk of being left to the state — to set aside enough money to cover the entire cost of cleanup. Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, a Los Angeles Democrat who authored the bill with the support of the Natural Resources Defense Council and Environment California, said it’s needed to “stem the tide” of orphaned wells. Newsom has until Oct. 14 to make a decision. A spokesperson declined to comment, saying the governor would evaluate the bill “on its merits.” The state’s Department of Finance released a two-page analysis opposing it. … ” Read more from Pro Publica.
Trump suggests bizarre plan to keep forests damp to prevent wildfires in California
“Former President Donald Trump revealed an unusual plan to stop wildfires from raging in California. Trump suggested that the Golden State’s rougly 33 million acres of forest should be kept damp while speaking at a California Republicans’ convention in Anaheim on Friday. “They say that there’s so much water up north that I want to have the overflow areas go into your forests and dampen your forests, because if you dampen your forests you’re not gonna have these forest fires that are burning at levels that nobody’s ever seen,” Trump said to a cheering crowd. “All the currently dry canals will be brimming and used to irrigate everything, including your own homes and bathrooms and everything, you’re going to be happy, and I’m going to get it done fast,” he added. … ” Read more from Insider.
SEE ALSO: Trump says people in Beverly Hills smell bad, based on false claims about shower restrictions, from KABC
In commentary today …
California will have less water in the future and you may be shocked by what it means
McClatchy opinion editors write, “The Newsom administration is taking steps to lower your water use in the coming years, and for some communities — by a lot. In the Sacramento County city of Folsom for example, residents are tentatively projected to face water cutbacks of 15% for homes and outdoor water use as early as 2025. Preliminary calculations show that the city of Sacramento will have to reduce its water use by 18% for homes and outdoor watering at certain businesses. Fresno is looking at a mandated 30% reduction. Modesto, 36%. Merced, 38% San Luis Obispo meanwhile, 0%. Climate change and shrinking water supplies are behind a revolutionary movement by California legislators and regulators to make water conservation “a way of life.” … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
BLM welcomes public input on draft management plan for northwest California public lands
“This week, the Bureau of Land Management announced the agency is seeking public input on the draft Northwest California Integrated Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for public lands managed by the Redding and Arcata field offices. This follows a recent letter from U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02) to the Department of the Interior supporting implementation of the proposed rule, and today’s plan includes proposals championed by Huffman in his Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forest Act. “This management plan shows promising momentum for an issue that is so important to my constituents, to Californians, and to the millions of visitors who come to experience the spectacular wild places our state has to offer,” said Representative Huffman. … ” Read more from the Ukiah Daily Journal.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Lake Tahoe’s highest ski resort celebrates first snow of the season
“Mt. Rose- Ski Tahoe, NV is known for having the highest base elevation of any ski area in the Lake Tahoe region. At 8,260 feet above sea level, Mt. Rose is usually one of the first ski areas to open for the season. The popular ski area took to social media on Sunday, October 1st, 2023 to share a picture of the season’s first flakes covering the ski area’s summit … Rose has not stated an intended opening day for the coming season, but the mountain typically has lifts spinning by the second week of November. Rose was joined by Palisades Tahoe and Mammoth Mountain, both California, in recording the first flakes of the season. … ” Read more from Powder Magazine.
BAY AREA
California heat wave: Hottest weather of year expected in S.F. soon
“Weather whiplash has arrived in California, and the wild ride is just beginning. After a low-pressure system produced rain showers and high-elevation snow across the Golden State over the weekend, hot weather is on the horizon. … High pressure will expand across California this week, marking a return of sunny skies and temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above normal. The heat is expected to peak Wednesday through Saturday, with high temperatures ranging from 80 degrees along the Pacific Coast Highway to the mid-90s in the Central Valley. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
For $75 million, you can buy a Bay Area private island
“A tiny private island in Grizzly Bay at the edge of Suisun Marsh – once a playground for Bay Area billionaire water sports enthusiasts – is up for sale for a cool $75 million. Reachable only by air or water, Point Buckler Island hit the real estate market only days ago and already has attracted several interested buyers, although agents would not disclose any names. It boasts two helipads and a 400-foot deepwater dock, which the listing says is “ready to accommodate your favorite weekend recreational watercraft or mega yacht.” In its heyday as an exclusive kiteboarding club – from 2014 to about 2019 – Point Buckler reportedly saw the likes of Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and other Silicon Valley billionaires visit, according to the island’s owner. Water-sports lovers enjoyed the consistently windy weather and navigating tight sloughs of the uninhabited island just east of the Carquinez Strait and at the mouth of the San Joaquin/Sacramento rivers Delta. The astroturf fields, outdoor lounge, bar and bathrooms are still there. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
Pleasanton council discusses water supply alternatives
“Pleasanton city staff are close to finalizing a recommendation for the City Council to possibly design and build two new groundwater wells outside of the PFAS contaminant plume following the Sept. 19 council meeting discussion. While the council did not vote to officially go with that option of opening two new wells, as it will be set to do so during the Oct. 17 council meeting, several council members did voice their support for doing so despite also voicing some concerns about the forever chemicals potentially being found in those future well locations. “I definitely think the recommendation is spot on,” Councilmember Jeff Nibert said during the Sept. 19 meeting. “But as you allude to, there is some level of uncertainty … (the) two new wells may not turn out to be the best ones.” … ” Read more from Pleasanton Weekly.
CENTRAL COAST
Judge OKs receivership at Big Basin Water
“After a brief period of argument and deliberation, a Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge moved forward Friday with appointing a receiver at Big Basin Water Co. that will assume operational possession and responsibility of the water system. “I don’t take this appointment lightly,” said Judge Timothy Volkmann to a courthouse crowd of roughly 30, many of whom were Big Basin customers. “There’s ample evidence to appoint a receiver.” State authorities began the process of pursuing a receivership in March as a means for getting the privately owned water provider back into compliance with state standards and formally filed a lawsuit in July. … ” Read more from MSN News.
With El Niño looming, Santa Cruz city crews rush to tackle West Cliff repairs ahead of coming winter
“The City of Santa Cruz Public Works department is gearing up for what could potentially be another rough winter due to the El Niño climate pattern that officially began in June. City officials say that while preparation for the winter will not vary much from the usual approach, public works is prioritizing repairs to damaged sections of West Cliff Drive to make as much progress as possible before bad weather forces crews to stop working. … Although effects around the Central Coast are harder to predict, the region does see slightly above-normal amounts of rainfall across all El Niño years. … ” Read more from Lookout Santa Cruz.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
SoCal cities desperately need more shade. Is it time to finally ditch palm trees?
“As an urban runner, V. Kelly Turner is always looking for some shade. She doesn’t want to overheat. Most weekday mornings, her usual route takes her down the shadiest stretch of Los Feliz Boulevard, where lush deodar cedars flank the sidewalks. One of her longer routes takes her through Hollywood on her way to Sunset Boulevard. “That stretch is hard,” said the associate professor of urban planning and geography at UCLA. “There’s not a lot of shade. Just palms. I’ve actually changed my route to avoid it.” Like Turner, cities across California are struggling to navigate a warming world, as well as mitigate the effects of urban heat islands. Many have developed climate action and resiliency plans that use trees as a primary defense against sizzling asphalt and stone. Yet as officials seek to greatly expand the urban tree canopy — with House Republicans often suggesting planting a trillion trees to fight climate change — many cities are razing their shadiest and most mature trees. In some cases, they are replacing them with palms. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Video: Orange County Water District explains impact of capturing Tropical Storm Hilary rainfall
“Lisa Haney, executive director of planning and natural resources, and Adam Hutchinson, recharge planning manager, both for Orange County Water District, share how they captured 2.56 inches of rain during Tropical Storm Hilary. This increased the water storage behind Prado Dam to more than 3.4 billion gallons of water, so the two explain how they prepared for this and plans for the future.” Click here to watch video at Stormwater Solutions.
SAN DIEGO
Pamphlets sent to voters ahead of District 4, water separation special elections
“Information pamphlets have been sent out to registered voters for the upcoming special elections on Nov. 7, including the District 4 supervisor runoff. Voters who live in the Fourth Supervisorial District, City of Chula Vista, Fallbrook Public Utility District and Rainbow Municipal Water District will be receiving the pamphlet in the next few days, county officials say. The pamphlet contains important election information such as voting options, election deadlines, candidate statements, ballot measure text and more. It will also have a sample of the ballot, which can be used for practice before marking the official ballot. … ” Read more from Channel 5.
Along the Colorado River …
Staving off a bass invasion
“On July 1, 2022, a National Park Service biologist named Jeff Arnold was hauling nets through a slough off the Colorado River, several miles downstream from Glen Canyon Dam, when he captured three greenish fish lined with vertical black stripes. He texted photos of his catch to colleagues, who confirmed his fears: The fish were smallmouth bass, voracious predators that have invaded waters around the West. Worse, they were juveniles. Smallmouth weren’t just living below the dam — they’d likely begun to breed. It was a grim discovery. Smallmouth bass, whose native range encompasses rivers and lakes in much of the Eastern United States and Great Lakes, have long plagued the Colorado River. … Scientists have long dreaded this development. … ” Read more from the High Country News.
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In national water news today …
Sackett v. EPA’s aftermath and the risk of inflamed western water conflict
“The Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. EPA, implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in an Aug. 29 rule, upended federal regulation of the nation’s water resources at a dire hydrological time for the western United States. Accelerating climate change, two centuries of unbridled consumption and development, and a ballooning urban population have depleted water supplies in a region with a long history of conflict over natural resources and their governance. The deregulatory cascade unleashed by Sackett may only worsen this crisis, reigniting simmering tensions over water rights between states, industries, cities, and a host of other regional stakeholders. … ” Continue reading from Just Security.
Short-lived or shallow, it’s still water
Kate Schmiel writes, “On a late summer evening, I stood in the rain in the park near my house, waiting for the dog to pee and watching the waters uncharacteristically fill the riprap-laden ditch that runs through the center of the park. They pushed the leaves and trash downstream, flowing around shopping carts and discarded appliances and nudging discarded clothes and garbage bags toward the river. I saw a coyote, patchy with mange, run along the edge of the waterway. Maybe, I thought, the waters disturbed its usual haunts in the ditch and forced it on to the banks. Later that evening, my husband called to say the Santa Fe River was running. Although its dammed upstream reaches provide the city with water, the river here is elusive. Downtown, it takes the form of a widely ignored ditch, a dozen feet below street level and a few feet wide. Hundreds of tourists likely walk beside it or drive above it without ever realizing they’ve forded the Santa Fe River. It’s usually damp, sometimes trickling. … ” Continue reading from High Country News.
More news and commentary in the weekend edition …
In California water news this weekend …
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Fall in the Bishop Creek Valley. Photo by Don Graham. Dianne Feinstein championed the environment. On California water, her legacy is complicated
- Why California’s weather is set up for abrupt seasonal shifts soon
- SGMA happens
- More California flood victims take steps to sue local, state agencies over winter floods
- California-Nevada Drought & Climate Outlook Webinar: September 25, 2023
- Fire retardant has killed thousands of fish in the Pacific Northwest, including endangered salmon species
- As heat waves warm the Pacific Ocean, effects on marine life remain murky
- Klamath River reach prepped for post dam removal flows
- A fight over precious groundwater in a rural California town is rooted in carrots
- Creek beds to be used for groundwater recharge and to improve water quality in Kaweah subbasin
- Colorado River officials to expand troubled water conservation program in 2024
- And more …
Click here for the weekend edition.
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
REMINDER: Upcoming Deadlines for County Planning Assistance
AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT: Westlands Water Quality Coalition Surface Water Quality Management Plan Completion Request
AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT: Kings River Water Quality Coalition Comprehensive Surface Water Quality Management Plan
