On the calendar today …
- WORKSHOP: State Water Resources Control Board beginning at 9:30am. The Water Board will hold a workshop to receive comments on the proposed regulation to make conservation a California way of life. Click here for the full agenda and remote access instructions.
- LUNCH-MAR: Update on MAR Operations at Terranova Ranch from 12:30pm to 1:30pm. An update on MAR operations at Terra Nova Ranch presented by Don Cameron. Click here to register.
California prepares for El Niño winter after a year of extreme heat and floods
“After a year of unprecedented heat and flooding, experts are cautiously hopeful for California’s new water year with the threat of the historically unruly El Niño looming. With the start of the new water year this week, state officials say there is plenty to celebrate. State climatologist Michael Anderson said in a Tuesday briefing that between October 2022 to March of this year, the state got 153% of normal rainfall, making it the sixth wettest water year on record. The San Joaquin Valley water region, which stretches from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to the Tulare Lake valley bed, saw its wettest year ever at 199% of normal rainfall. The state got half of a normal water year’s precipitation between December to March, leading to historic snowmelt starting in April. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
New water year underway, California prepares for a possible wet El Niño year
“The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today highlighted how the State and its federal and local partners are preparing for the new water year which started October 1 and the possibility of another wet season under strong El Niño conditions. California’s investments in forecasting and emergency preparedness paid off during last season’s storm events and the State is incorporating lessons learned during the last water year and advancing the science and technology that will be critical to managing water in the coming years. DWR will utilize the most advanced forecasting tools with our partners like NOAA, Scripps, and others to prepare for whatever may come to California in the months ahead. … ” Read more from the Department of Water Resources.
Record-setting winter leaves Central Valley Project well-positioned at start of 2024 water year
“A record-setting winter in 2023 has left the Bureau of Reclamation’s Central Valley Project reservoirs in good shape as it begins the 2024 water year with 8.17 million acre-feet of water in storage. “We could not have asked for better conditions in 2023 and the rain and snow were a welcome reprieve after the driest three-year stretch ever,” said Reclamation Regional Director Ernest Conant. “The ample precipitation California received has left our reservoirs well positioned as we transition to a new water year.” California’s drought was effectively eliminated between December 2022 and March 2023 as a series of at least 12 strong and extreme atmospheric rivers hit the West Coast. The storms’ aftermath marked the first time since 2020 that none of California was in exceptional or extreme drought. Read more from the Bureau of Reclamation.
California water reservoirs are still brimming as El Niño looms
“California’s reservoirs are still brimming from last winter’s heavy rains and snow, even as El Niño raises the possibility of a second strong rainy season in a row, state and federal officials said. The drought-prone state began its new water year Oct. 1 with supplies in far better shape than last fall. California reservoirs run by the US Bureau of Reclamation currently hold more than twice as much water as the historic average for this date, said Regional Director Ernest Conant in a briefing Tuesday with reporters. It’s a welcome turnaround after years of sparse winter precipitation that left many basins surrounded by bathtub rings of dry dirt and triggered conservation efforts across the nation’s most populous state. … ” Read more from Bloomberg (gift article).
CA celebrates water-filled reservoirs with a wary eye on El Niño
“California ended its “miracle” water year on Saturday with enough rain and snow to fill the state’s reservoirs to 128% of their historical average, making it among the wettest years in recorded state history. That’s a welcome boon to a state that has spent much of the past dozen years in a deep drought, forcing state leaders to grapple with how the state should share and manage its water in the future. A series of winter storms in early 2023 busted the state’s most recent dry spell. At the same time, state officials are keeping a close eye on El Niño, which could deliver rain and snow in volumes that trigger flooding, mudslides, and deaths. State officials measured 33.56 inches of precipitation through the end of September. California’s “water year” begins annually on Oct. 1 so it can include all of the fall and winter months when California gets the bulk of its rain and snow. The state depends on those wet months to fill its reservoirs that supply water for drinking, farming, and environmental uses throughout the state. … ” Read more from GV Wire.
SEE ALSO:
In other California water news today …
California will soon require many cities to significantly cut water use. Here are the details
“A second straight wet winter may be in store for California, but state water regulators are turning their attention to the prospect of long-term water shortages, with plans for permanent statewide restrictions. Under a first-of-its-kind proposal, about 400 cities and suppliers, including most in the Bay Area, will soon have to meet state-mandated targets on water use, requiring some to cut consumption by 20% or more within two years, regardless of how wet or dry it is. Fines for violators could run as high as $10,000 per day. Water agencies, under the plan, will be responsible for figuring out how to hit the new targets, with many likely to fall back on familiar drought-time conservation practices, namely encouraging residents to use less or requiring it. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle (gift article).
RELATED: FEATURE: State Water Board to hold public hearing on the “Making Conservation a California Way of Life,” but does the proposed regulation make economic sense?, from Maven’s Notebook
Marin water agency objects to state’s proposed conservation rules
“The North Marin Water District is pushing back on the state’s proposal for permanent water conservation measures regardless of drought conditions. The proposal, known as “Making Conservation a California Way of Life,” would require hundreds of large urban water suppliers to set and meet new conservation targets beginning in 2025. Agencies also would be required to submit more detailed information to the state on how their water is being used. The State Water Resources Control Board is set to hold a workshop on the proposed rules on Wednesday. Tony Williams, the general manager of the North Marin Water District, said the rules would place onerous requirements on local agencies that have already been successful in reducing water use. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
Farmers join study on curbing water use
“After several multiyear droughts, those connected to water in California are looking at strategies to conserve irrigation supplies and produce crops using less water. To gain insight, farmers have partnered with the University of California and the Delta Conservancy to study different aspects of water conservation, including the amount of water released from plants, soil and other surfaces to the atmosphere, known as evapotranspiration or ET. Among those working with the research effort is Lou Biagioni, who farms crops such as corn, sorghum, safflower, wheat, oats and alfalfa in Isleton. “Any data that I get is going to help,” said Biagioni, who began work with UC and the Delta Conservancy in 2022 after he was awarded grant funding by the state Department of Water Resources for the Delta Drought Response Pilot Program. … ” Read more from Ag Alert.
OpenET launches a new API
“On Tuesday, October 3, NASA Ames’ OpenET program launched an application programming interface (API) for its widely-used Data Explorer tool. OpenET is a program providing satellite-based information on evapotranspiration (ET) and agricultural water use, currently deployed across the 23 westernmost continental states. Data is provided at a scale of individual fields, or a quarter acre per pixel, and available at daily, monthly, and annual time scales. The current Data Explorer is freely available online, with the intent that anyone with an internet connection can easily access, download, retrieve and review data on water management. The October 3 launch of the API comes as the second piece of a three-part initiative to achieve this goal: stage one was the creation of the Data Explorer itself. Stage two, the new API, is designed to allow data to be more easily retrieved and integrated with a variety of water management applications on local, state, or federal levels. … ” Continue reading from NASA.
Is agrivoltaics right for California?
“Agrivoltaics—the practice of using the same piece of land simultaneously for agriculture and solar power generation—has enjoyed a lot of positive press lately. We spoke with Renee Robin of Broad Reach Power and farmer and solar energy developer Jon Reiter about whether agrivoltaics is right for California. Can you describe agrivoltaics? Jon Reiter: Agrivoltaics can mean commercial farming between rows of solar panels, livestock grazing below solar panels, or planting cover crops below solar panels. Renee Robin: For me, agrivoltaics means dual-use solar with food production. This could also include crops that support pollinators, grazing, or habitat restoration. … ” Read more from the PPIC.
As California gets drier, solar panels could help farms save water
“Satellite imagery of Topaz Solar Farm, a massive solar installation inland from San Luis Obispo in Central California, depicts an oasis of blue panels surrounded by sun-scorched earth. The images do not capture, however, the thousands of sheep hard at work under the panels, eating the non-native grasses and reducing the threat of wildfire. The operation benefits everyone involved: Sheep farmer Frankie Iturriria gets paid for his time, the collaborating rangeland researchers are breaking ground, and the landowner BHE Renewables can maintain the property with sheep, which have less impact and are more cost-effective than mowers or other livestock. But the farm is one of relatively few examples of agrivoltaics—or combined agriculture and photovoltaic array systems—on private land in California, where the technology has been surprisingly slow to gain visibility and traction. … ” Read more from Civil Eats.
California Forever’s first foray into Solano County politics was all about water. It didn’t end well
“For the first time since their plan to build a city in Solano County became public, representatives of California Forever went to a local government and asked for permission to do something. For the billionaire city-builders, it was a big-time bust. In a unanimous decision Tuesday evening, the City Council of Rio Vista — a charming delta town of 10,000 that would be the closest city to where the new metropolis would sprout from dry farmland — rejected the idea that it would allow the city’s outside legal counsel to also represent California Forever, the developer’s parent company. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Future of water storage in California could increase state energy supply
“A new water year is here and there is much anticipation for what a growing El Niño will bring California. There is a likelihood the state could see back to back big water years. The 2022-23 water year ended Sept. 30 with the state hitting 153% of average precipitation ranking it as the sixth wettest on record. It was a tenuous year for water managers trying to delicately balance flood control and water supply especially coming off of severe drought conditions. There was growing concern as water had to be released to make room for snowmelt coming down the hill and filling reservoirs. … ” Read more from Channel 10.
California’s prescribed fire window could shrink with warming climate, study says
“Climate change is poised to narrow the window when it’s safe to light prescribed fires, one of the most potent tools California has to reduce catastrophic wildfires. Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA and co-author of research published Tuesday, said that large swaths of California are likely to lose about 30 days of favorable weather for prescribed fires — planned burns to reduce excess vegetation — by 2060 due to rising temperatures, which are projected to increase the amount of time that conditions are too hot or rainy to burn. That amounts to about one-third fewer days. The research points to a fundamental challenge: converting wildland firefighting from a seasonal operation with more firefighters on duty during summer and autumn to one fully staffed year-round. “We need more people staffed year-round to do this,” Swain said. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
SEE ALSO: Climate change is narrowing and shifting prescribed fire windows in the western US, from Weather West
In commentary today …
Data tool emerges as water-rights threat is defeated
Alexandra Biering, senior policy advocate for the California Farm Bureau, writes, “In the past several years, the equity and effectiveness of California’s water-rights system and the California State Water Resources Control Board’s ability to enforce it have come under scrutiny from activists and environmental interest groups. This scrutiny increased following documented violations of the agency’s water curtailment orders in August 2022. At the outset of 2023, California lawmakers responded by introducing three water-rights “reform” bills to increase the state water board’s oversight and enforcement authorities in the exercise of any type of water right. Ultimately, only one such bill—Senate Bill 389 by state Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica—has successfully landed on the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom. The other two water-rights bills, Assembly Bill 460 by Assembly Member Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, D-Orinda, and AB 1337 by Assembly Member Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, failed to gather enough votes to pass this year. The governor has until Oct. 14 to veto SB 389. Otherwise, it will become law. … ” Continue reading this commentary from Ag Alert.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Clearlake City Council to discuss legal expenses, water rate increase
“The Clearlake City Council this week will take up a discussion regarding an increase of legal expenses to defend the city against tribal lawsuits and a proposed water rate increase. … The council also will consider possible action related to Golden State Water Co.’s request for a rate increase. Under the different scenarios, rates could rise between 32 and 41 percent over a three-year period. … ” Read the full story at the Lake County News.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
El Dorado Irrigation District spends nearly $30 million repairing damages from Caldor Fire
“The 2021 Caldor Fire devastated forestland, farmland, homes and vital infrastructure that has cost millions to rebuild including water systems operated by the El Dorado Irrigation District. The district provides water to over 125,000 residents in El Dorado County. On Sept. 25, the district board of directors met to review the facilities and infrastructure that have been rebuilt following the fire and what outstanding costs remain. EID’s Senior Deputy General Counsel Elizabeth Leeper reported that 39 fire-related repairs have been documented, 29 of which were insured under the Association of California Water Agencies Joint Powers Insurance Authority (ACWA JPIA). … ” Read more from KTXL.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Lake Oroville recovers after the 2021 drought as water levels soar over 200 feet
“After a devastating drought in 2021 that left Lake Oroville at their lowest water level ever at 628.47 feet, the lake has now seen an intense increase in water levels. “This past winter storms provided a huge boost to the state water projects, water supply, especially at our largest reservoir at Lake Oroville,” said Ted Craddock, Deputy Director of the State Water Project. The California Department of Water Resources runs the State Water Project System which Lake Oroville is a part of, and serves 27 million California residents and 750,000 acres of farmland in the state. … ” Read more from KRCR.
‘Seriously magical’: Popular Wilton pumpkin patch reopens after flooding, damages from storms
“A popular pumpkin farm reopened for its comeback season after suffering extensive damage from last winter’s storms. The land at Fog Willow Farms is now flooded with pumpkins and livestock instead of water. The farm now allows attendees to see and pet baby animals, go on a hayride tour and hunt for their perfect pumpkin as fall comes into full force. “This is seriously magical. I’ve never been out here before. I’ve heard of it. We didn’t make it out last year,” said Elayne Anderson, mother and volunteer. “I’m really glad we’re here.” … ” Read more from Channel 10.
NAPA/SONOMA
Sonoma Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency awarded $3.1 million
“The California Department of Water Resources announced that it will award $15.1 million total in grant funds to Sonoma County’s three groundwater sustainability agencies serving Petaluma Valley, Santa Rosa and Sonoma Valley. Sonoma Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency will get $3.1 million for aquifer system assessments, water use efficiency programs, outreach and stakeholder engagement programs and more. These efforts will help support local sustainable groundwater management, including projects to help rural residents use water more efficiently and better understand how groundwater pumping impacts local creeks and streams. … ” Read more from the Sonoma Index-Tribune.
Water Board pursues record-setting $8.6 million fine against BoDean quarry
“A Sonoma County building materials company known to tout its environmentally-friendly endeavors is facing an $8.6 million fine for polluting salmon habitat. On its website, the BoDean Company boasts about its decision to switch its Mark West Quarry to solar power in 2011, reportedly a first-of-its-kind initiative, as well as its installation of a water recycling system at the same facility five years earlier. However, a review of public documents brings the company’s more recent track record into question. … ” Read more from the Bohemian.
Vineyard owner sues Napa County over well permit policy
““Wine is for drinking; water is for fighting.” The latest example of what could be the North Coast version of that quote misattributed to Mark Twain is a local wine grape grower’s federal lawsuit against Napa County over well permits. Jayson Woodbridge, whose St. Helena-based Hundred Acre Vineyard has produced a string of 100-point-scoring wines over the past two decades, sued the county in San Francisco district court Sept. 5, alleging the county planning department overstepped state and federal laws and its own policies by requiring applicants for new well permits on the Napa Valley floor to commit to pumping significantly less than the limit on comparable existing permits. “Any owner seeking a new well permit is being subjected to a 70% reduction in allowable water use, as compared with existing wells. That is not a legitimate use of the county’s regulatory authority,” said one of Woodbridge’s attorneys in the case, Jonathan Bass of Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass in San Francisco and Napa. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
CENTRAL COAST
Judge approves receivership For Big Basin Water Company
“Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge Timothy Volkmann on Friday ruled to appoint a public receiver for embattled private utility Big Basin Water Company (BBWC). This is the latest development in years-long efforts to get the company to comply with state water regulations. The ruling comes as a relief to the roughly 1,200 customers who have been struggling to get safe, reliable drinking water for roughly three years. Judge Volkmann upheld his tentative ruling at a hearing on Sep. 29 and granted the State Water Resources Control Board their request to have a public receiver appointed to manage BBWC. … ” Read more from Good Times Santa Cruz.
Despite historic rainfall, more wet years needed to replenish Santa Barbara County’s drought-stricken basins
“Santa Barbara County supervisors marked the transition of a new water year — effective October 1 — by delving into a discussion of the county’s many groundwater basins, from which, it turns out, 80 percent of all water used in the county is extracted. Although Santa Barbara received twice as much rainfall in 2023 as it typically gets, supervisors were told on Tuesday it would take multiple wet or average years for those basins — hit by years of intense drought — to replenish. Shallower basins, the supervisors were told, are recovering faster but groundwater storage in some deep wells continues to decline with some still near historically low levels. In places like Cuyama, where the groundwater basins have been all but strip-mined, the fight over water rights has prompted residents there to launch a boycott against carrots, the cultivation of which has been a major bone of contention. … ” Read more from the Santa Barbara Independent.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Court to consider cutting water diversions out of Kern River
“A preliminary injunction that could cut water being taken out of the Kern River if those diversions are harmful to fish will be taken up Friday, October 13 in a Kern County courtroom. The request for the injunction was filed in August by a group of entities suing the City of Bakersfield for what it says is gross mismanagement of the river. The injunction request seeks a court order to protect fish by ceasing, or reducing, flows into canals that take water away from the river, to mostly agricultural uses throughout the county, until the main lawsuit is concluded. Such a move could severely endanger drinking water supplies for Bakersfield residents, according to opposition papers filed by Bakersfield’s attorney Colin Pearce in opposition to the injunction. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Santa Clarita: Schiavo, Wilk claim victory despite water bill’s defeat
“After languishing on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for 17 days, Assembly Bill 1631, an effort co-authored by Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo and Sen. Scott Wilk meant as the latest tool in the fight against Cemex’s effort to put a megamine in Soledad Canyon, failed to get signed into law. Both Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, and Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, hailed the Assembly bill’s passage in the Senate on Sept. 7, with the senator calling it a major victory and Schiavo adding that she would “look forward to seeing the governor sign AB 1631.” In a veto message issued Saturday, Newsom said the bill had been rendered “unnecessary” by the State Water Board’s decision to re-notice the Cemex application, which would have been the only project impacted by the bill. … ” Read more from The Signal.
$31.8 million grant will help restore 54 acres of Los Cerritos Wetlands
“The Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority last month received a $31.8 million grant from the California State Coastal Conservancy that will eventually help fund the restoration of 54 acres of wetlands. The plan is part of the first phase of the Southern Los Cerritos Wetlands Restoration Project’s effort to restore 103.5 acres of the wetlands in Seal Beach and Long Beach—as much of California’s historical wetlands have been lost. In its first phase, the project will be focused on flood management, planting vegetation and building paths for public access on the edge of the wetlands, according to Tidal Influence Principal Restoration Ecologist Eric Zahn, who manages the project. … ” Read more from the Long Beach Post.
SAN DIEGO
Bureau of Reclamation group visits South Bay water agencies
“A planning and training workshop for 100 U.S. Bureau of Reclamation employees in San Diego County included tours of Sweetwater Authority and Otay Water District facilities. The Reclamation employees visited San Diego in September to participate in a planning training workshop. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act have brought significant funding in support of Reclamation’s mission to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public. Planning provides critical support for Reclamation’s leadership when making investment decisions. … ” Read more from the Water News Network.
San Diego County Water Authority predicts ‘reliable supplies’ for 2024
“As the official 2024 California water year began Sunday, the San Diego County Water Authority predicted “reliable supplies” thanks to full reservoirs and continued investment in desalination and other diversified sources. At the end of August 2023, reservoirs in the county had an additional 137,400 acre-feet of storage, an 80% increase from the same time in 2022 amid drought conditions. And compared to recent years, the condition of the Colorado River is improved and California will not face supply restrictions. The extra local water storage alone is enough to support nearly 500,000 single-family households for a year. … ” Read more from the Times of San Diego.
San Dieguito Lagoon Restoration project will convert 84 acres of wetlands
“SANDAG crews continue to work on the San Dieguito Lagoon Restoration project in Del Mar, which will convert 84 acres — or approximately 63 football fields — of former agricultural fields to saltwater wetlands. Let’s dredge up the project’s goals and progress for the portion of the lagoon system east of Interstate 5 at El Camino Real and Villa De La Valle known as W-19. Southern California Edison began restoring wetlands in the area in 2011. Since 2022 SANDAG has been spearheading this phase to supplement those initial efforts. … ” Read more from San Diego Today.
Along the Colorado River …
Arizona to cancel leases allowing Saudi-owned farm access to state’s groundwater
“Arizona governor Katie Hobbs said this week her administration is terminating state land leases that for years have given a Saudi-owned farm nearly unfettered access to pump groundwater in the dry southwestern state. On Monday, Hobbs, a Democrat, said the state had canceled Fondomonte Arizona’s lease in western Arizona’s Butler Valley and would not renew three other leases up for renewal there next year. An investigation by the governor’s office found that the foreign-owned farm had violated some of its lease terms. Hobbs called it unacceptable that the farm “continued to pump unchecked amounts of groundwater out of our state while in clear default on their lease.” Fondomonte Arizona, a subsidiary of Saudi dairy giant Almarai Co., grows alfalfa in Arizona that feeds livestock in the water-stressed Gulf kingdom. … ” Read more from Channel 17.
End of lease for Saudi-owned farm in Arizona raises questions about unregulated groundwater
“Gov. Katie Hobbs says she is protecting Arizona’s resources by terminating the leases for a Saudi-owned company that’s been growing water-intensive crops in the drought-stricken state. But some say the state needs to do more to regulate rural groundwater. The state trust land in La Paz County where Saudi-owned company Fondomonte has been farming is in what’s known as a transport basin. Kathleen Ferris is a senior research fellow with ASU’s Kyl Center for Water Policy who also helped shape Arizona’s 1980 Groundwater Management Act. She said Butler Valley is one of a handful of critical areas in the state where groundwater is supposed to be set aside for possible future use by Phoenix or urban users as other water supplies become depleted. … ” Read more from KJZZ.
Reclamation analyzing Glen Canyon Dam operations to disrupt invasive fish
“The Bureau of Reclamation today announced it is initiating the formal process to develop future alternative operations at Glen Canyon Dam aimed at disrupting invasive fish from spawning downstream. The proposed flow options would potentially run through 2027. Reclamation undertook an environmental assessment in August 2022, entitled Glen Canyon Dam/Smallmouth Bass Flow Options, which was released for public comment Feb. 24. Based on the environmental assessment analysis and nearly 7,000 comments received, Reclamation concluded that additional analysis was warranted. On June 6, the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group directed Reclamation to prepare a supplemental environmental impact statement to the December 2016 Glen Canyon Dam Long Term Experimental and Management Plan Record of Decision. … ” Read more from the Bureau of Reclamation.
SEE ALSO: Water managers inch closer to plan for removing invasive fish in Colorado River, from KNAU
In national water news today …
US winter forecast for the 2023-2024 season
“The upcoming winter is shaping up to be much different than last winter, especially across the central and eastern United States, and AccuWeather forecasters say one month may leave the biggest impression. “February can be an active and intense month,” AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist and veteran forecaster Paul Pastelok said. One of the driving forces this winter will be the strengthening El Niño, which will play a significant role in the weather across the United States throughout the entire winter season. The pattern is marked by warmer-than-normal waters in parts of the tropical Pacific Ocean, a counterpart to La Niña, which has ruled for the past three winters. … ” Read more from AccuWeather.
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
NOW AVAILABLE for Public Comment: Updated Groundwater Management Practice Implementation Report Submittal for Southern San Joaquin Valley Water Quality Coalition
