On the calendar today …
- MEETING: Delta Stewardship Council beginning at 9am. Agenda items include the consideration and possible appointment of a Delta Lead Scientist and a Delta Independent Science Board member; Delta Lead Scientist Report; and the results from the Delta Residents survey. Click here for the meeting notice and remote access instructions.
- WEBINAR: ET oh my … Data solutions for landscape water budgets from 1pm to 3pm. CaDC’s October 2023 webinar will focus on the crucial data needed for calculating accurate landscape water budgets including evapotranspiration, precipitation, and square footage. Experts will share reliable data sources and examples of how different data sets affect water agencies’ Water Use Objectives. Click here to register.
Reclamation releases draft SEIS for Colorado River operations through 2026
“The Biden-Harris administration today announced next steps in the Administration’s efforts to protect the stability and sustainability of the Colorado River System and strengthen water security in the West. The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation released a revised draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) as part of the ongoing, collaborative effort to update the current interim operating guidelines for the near-term operation of Glen Canyon and Hoover Dams to address the ongoing drought and impacts from the climate crisis. … Today’s revised draft SEIS includes two key updates: the Lower Basin states’ proposal as an action alternative, as well as improved hydrology and more recent hydrologic data. The release of the revised draft SEIS initiates a 45-day public comment period. … ” Continue reading this press release from the Department of Interior.
Western States’ planned water cuts are enough to avert a Colorado River crisis, for now
“California, Nevada and Arizona’s historic pact to cut their use of the Colorado River’s overtapped supplies should be enough to keep the basin’s massive reservoirs from hitting dangerously low levels — for now, a federal analysis reported today. With the release of its revised environmental assessment today, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is poised to move forward with the three-state plan to give up about 13% of water they receive from the Colorado River through the end of 2026. Next comes 45 days of public comment on the assessment, which is expected to be finalized in early 2024. At stake is a water supply for 40 million people, seven states, 30 federally recognized Tribal Nations, and 5.5 million acres of agriculture. A combination of an ample Rocky Mountain snowpack, wet weather and the states’ planned cuts averted imminent declines that could have threatened water deliveries and power production. But federal officials warned that long-term threats to the vital supply remain. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
Biden admin greenlights plan to reduce western states’ vital water supply: ‘Equitable future’
“The Biden administration took action Wednesday for a historic agreement among Western states to conserve vital water supplies. The Department of the Interior (DOI), which has for months worked with state leaders on developing water conservation plans, issued a draft supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) laying out two potential options: a no-action alternative and the proposed action to substantially restrict supplies in coming years. The proposal is designed to protect the Colorado River System and two key dams in response to falling water levels. “Today, the Biden-Harris administration is taking another key action to bolster water resilience in the Basin States, leveraging historic investments from the president’s Investing in America agenda to build a more sustainable and equitable future for communities across the West,” said White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. … ” Read more from Fox News.
SEE ALSO:
- Feds say Colorado River water cuts are sufficient to stave off immediate risks, from the LA Times
- New federal plan aims to ensure Colorado River’s sustainability through 2026, from the Las Vegas Sun
- Colorado River cuts likely to be less drastic for Arizona, other states, from the Arizona Daily Star
- Feds favor Lower Basin water cuts as part of short-term plan to stabilize Colorado River reservoirs, from the Colorado Sun
In other California water news today …
First snow of the season falling at Tahoe, Yosemite
“It’s not time to break out the skis just yet. But in a symbolic turning of the page for California’s annual weather story, the first measurable snow of the winter season began to fall Wednesday in the Sierra Nevada. Flurries were visible by mid-day at Donner Summit along Interstate 80. Forecasters said that 1 to 2 inches were expected overnight around mountain passes, with 2 to 4 inches possible at higher elevations above 8,000 feet, and 6 inches on Mount Lassen in far Northern California. Most of the snow will melt by Thursday, meteorologists said. And Tahoe area ski resorts aren’t scheduled to open for another month. But the fact that temperatures were forecast to fall into the 30s, and even 20s at higher elevations, was causing a stir. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
SEE ALSO: California’s first chain controls of the season called near Lake Tahoe, from Fox 40
Forecasters predict another wetter-than-average winter on the way for Central California
“The Central Sierra Nevada and the rest of Central California could see another wetter-than-average winter, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in its U.S. Winter Outlook for December through February. A winter outlook map for precipitation, released Thursday, shows wetter-than-average conditions are most likely in areas that include parts of Central California and Nevada. Most of California, including the Mother Lode and the Central Sierra, could also be warmer than average from December to February, NOAA researchers said in a news release Thursday. El Niño is in place heading into winter for the first time in four years, driving the outlook for warmer-than-average temperatures across the northern continental U.S. … ” Read more from the Union Democrat.
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding boosts San Luis Reservoir expansion project
“Among the many components of the Central Valley Project, San Luis Reservoir plays a key role in providing irrigation water to one of the world’s most productive agricultural regions. Completed in 1967, San Luis is the largest off-stream reservoir in the country. It’s also the only CVP reservoir south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. At more than 2 million acre-feet of storage, it controls and moderates water distribution for water users within the CVP and the State Water Project. But in the decades following the San Luis’ completion, the realities of California’s water supply outlook have changed dramatically. Harsh, multi-year droughts combined with increased regulatory oversight of Delta pumping activities have hampered the ability to move water to south of Delta water users. It’s expected that regulatory changes, CVP operation, and the overall growth in surface water demand will increase reliance on San Luis Reservoir supplies in the future. In an environmental document released in October, Reclamation and its partner, the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Authority, say that “these conditions all contribute to a need for actions to improve water supply reliability and operational flexibility south of the Delta.” … ” Read more from the Bureau of Reclamation.
Fears of sewage-infested waters spread as Isleton pleas for help
“California winter weather forecasts are causing concern for one Sacramento County city as officials fear a sewage spillover repeat. Californians faced an onslaught of wet weather last winter when more than 12 atmospheric rivers dumped excessive rain on the state. The heavy precipitation erased much of the state’s drought and proved beneficial to the state’s wildfire threat, but it had some concerning impacts on wastewater treatment plants in Isleton, California, a small city in north-central California. In March 2023, heavy rain overflowed the city’s wastewater ponds, causing 2 to 3 million gallons of wastewater to spill into the Mokelumne, San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers, WLWT reported at the time. The city’s pipes were damaged during the January storms, and heavy rainfall contributed to the overflow. … ” Read more from Newsweek.
Delta Conservancy Board approves $13 million for Nature-Based Solutions: Wetland Restoration Projects
“The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy Board on Wednesday approved awarding up to $13.3 million for three climate-benefit projects that will provide fish and wildlife habitat, halt or reverse subsidence, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support the Delta economy, and more. The grant funding for these projects was made possible by the Amended Budget Act of 2022, which provided the Delta Conservancy with a general fund allocation of $36 million for projects that support Nature Based Solutions: Wetland Restoration. “This funding offers a great opportunity to implement projects that offer nature-based solutions to habitat loss, subsidence, and carbon emissions on Delta islands. We have the science that tells us rewetting the landscape will be beneficial; now we can start putting this knowledge into practice,” said Karen Buhr, Delta Conservancy Deputy Executive Officer. … ” Read more from the Delta Conservancy.
SB 659: Marking another landmark moment in groundwater sustainability
“California recently marked a landmark moment with the passage of SB 659, known as the Water Supply Solutions Act of 2023. The act signals a pivotal shift in the state’s approach to water management, placing a greater focus on groundwater as the state’s climate change champion. The Sites off stream reservoir project on the west side of the Sacramento Valley stands as an important storage solution for addressing extreme weather events—both droughts and floods—expected with climate change. But the solution also lies under our feet: groundwater. Over 90 percent of our freshwater resides beneath the Earth’s crust. Despite this vast underground resource, the lion’s share of our water management work has historically been directed toward the visible 10 percent of our freshwater supply on the surface. Now that focus is shifting with SB 659, authored by Sen. Angelique Ashby of Sacramento and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 8. … ” Read more from the Northern California Water Association.
“It was a win in the battle against plastic pollution — until it wasn’t. On Oct. 8, California governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill 1628, which would have required plastic microfiber filters on new residential washing machines sold in the state by 2029. The bill, which passed California’s legislature on Sept. 13 , would have prevented millions of pounds each year of one of the most pernicious forms of microplastic pollution. Newsom, in a brief letter, said that while he takes microfiber contamination seriously, he is “concerned that this bill will increase costs to consumers in advance of further research being completed and establishing the public policy rationale and details for new residential requirements.” Advocates disputed this claim, saying that evidence-based scientific and economic research underpinned the bill. … ” Read more from Environmental Health News.
After terrorizing surfers, California’s angriest otter finds peace as new mother
“Sea otter 841 — the surfboard biting stealing mammal who became a national sensation this summer — has given birth to fluffy baby pup. On Wednesday afternoon, she was seen far off the Santa Cruz coast, rolling and spinning in the kelp and waves with a little otter pup on her belly. Mark Woodward, her No. 1 fan and most dedicated chronicler, said he spotted the pup for the first time Tuesday afternoon. “I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I think I let out a yelp when I saw it.”
The pup’s birth, which has yet to be officially confirmed by state and federal wildlife authorities, may explain 841’s unusually aggressive behavior toward multiple surfers — at least one whom abandoned their board and saw it carted off by the slick-haired cousin of the skunk and weasel. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Fire, other ravages jeopardize California’s prized forests
“On a steep mountainside where walls of flames torched the forest on their way toward Lake Tahoe in 2021, blackened trees stand in silhouette against a gray sky. “If you can find a live tree, point to it,” Hugh Safford, an environmental science and policy researcher at the University of California, Davis, said touring damage from the Caldor Fire, one of the past decade’s many massive blazes. Dead pines, firs, and cedars stretch as far as the eye can see. Fire burned so hot that soil was still barren in places more than a year later. Granite boulders were charred and flaked from the inferno. Long, narrow indentations marked the graves of fallen logs that vanished in smoke. … ” Read more from the Associated Press.
11 ways farmers are adapting to the unpredictability of climate change
“Climate change is no longer a distant threat – it is a reality that farmers around the world are grappling with daily. Rising temperatures, erratic weather patterns, increased pest and disease pressure and shifting precipitation patterns have made agriculture more challenging than ever. Farmers are demonstrating remarkable resilience and adaptability in the face of the uncertainty brought about by climate change. … ” Read more from Earth.org.
U.N. report warns of catastrophic climate tipping points. California is nearing several
“Humanity is on course to transgress multiple global “tipping points” that could lead to irreversible instability or the complete collapse of ecological and institutional systems, a United Nations report warned Wednesday. The third annual Interconnected Disaster Risks report from the U.N. University’s Institute for Environment and Human Security in Bonn, Germany, found that drastic changes will occur if urgent actions are not taken around six moments when sociological systems are no longer able to buffer risks. The tipping points include several issues that California is confronting head-on — groundwater depletion, rising insurance costs, extreme heat and species extinction. The other threats are melting glaciers and space debris. According to U.N. officials, “when one system tips, other systems may also be pushed over the edge.” … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via Yahoo News.
In commentary today …
State Water Board’s Delta Plan is no fix for fish and hurts farms
The California Farm Water Coalition writes, “In announcing its new Bay-Delta Water Quality plan, the California State Water Resources Control Board said it wanted to “change the channel” on California’s water debate. We completely agree it’s time to move away from outdated thinking and embrace new, collaborative, science-based solutions and therefore are puzzled that the board is stubbornly clinging to the same failed approach of the past. In a stated attempt to help endangered fish populations, the “new” plan dramatically increases the amount of water that must remain in the San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced rivers, which significantly decreases the amount available for farms, cities, schools and others. The problem is that flushing water through the system and out to sea is exactly what officials have done for more than 25 years to no effect – fish have continued to decline. All the board is doing is doubling down on the same unsuccessful strategy. … ” Read more from the California Farm Water Coalition.
In regional water news and commentary today …
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
California awards $55M to Sacramento water agencies’ water resilience
“To help combat climate change and drought impacts on regional water supplies, the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) and Department of Water Resources (DWR) have partnered with local water agencies to implement critical infrastructure upgrades that will improve water resilience and support environmental health in the Sacramento area. As part of a landmark partnership agreement, the state agencies have committed $55 million in funding to the Sacramento Regional Water Authority to advance 21 projects designed to boost local water supplies and environmental flows for the Lower American River during dry years. … ” Read more from Water World.
BAY AREA
What does ‘unavoidable’ west Antarctic ice shelf melt mean for the Bay Area?
“No matter how fast the world reduces carbon emissions, some amount of rapid ice melt from human-caused climate change in West Antarctica is inevitable by the end of the century, which could have enormous ramifications for coastal regions like San Francisco Bay, according to a new study published by researchers at the British Antarctic Survey. “It looks like we’ve lost control of melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet,” said study lead author Dr. Kaitlin Naughten in an online statement. Scientists have known that as oceans absorb heat, their temperature rises, and water expands, contributing to rising sea levels. But this study is one of the first to model exactly how ocean warming might cause the Antarctic ice shelves to melt, releasing much more water into the ocean and pushing them up further. … ” Read more from KQED.
Valley Water prepares for possible wet winter
“The National Weather Service recently said that there could be another very wet and potentially dangerously winter. Now, the Santa Clara Valley Water District is outlining what they’ve been doing to prepare and explaining what residents can do to get ready at home as well. Last winter’s relentless rainstorms led to localized flooding in some areas and widespread destruction in others. This includes Pajaro, where water officials are prepping for a possible repeat this winter. Last winter, was an anomaly, this winter could be, not necessarily a repeat, but we could be wet again. So, to get big back-to-back wet years is something we don’t see too often here in California,” said Brian Garcia, a warning coordination meteorologist with NWS Bay Area. … ” Read more from NBC Bay Area.
CENTRAL COAST
Building back beaches
“Climate change and sea level rise are changing local beaches, but Santa Cruzans can weigh in on how local parks will adapt. In a survey that will end Oct. 30, parks and recreation departments want to hear from residents: how do they use Seacliff and New Brighton State Beaches and what do they value most in the state parks? This information will be key as the departments develop a plan to address the rising sea levels and rebuild the beaches, which sustained major damage during the winter storms earlier this year. Due to the storms, the Seacliff campground remains closed, there was a period where public access was restricted and the pier was damaged and taken down. … ” Read more from Good Times Santa Cruz.
A housing project in Seaside will be a test for how the market meets the moment.
“On the Monterey Peninsula, the lack of available water is often highlighted by public agencies, and residents that favor a local desalination project, as the primary reason the region lacks adequate housing. Just how true that is remains an open question – there are several other hurdles for new development – but in Seaside, it’s about to be put to the test. On Sept. 28, Cal Am inked an agreement with the city for the transfer of sufficient water credits to set a meter to serve the long-stalled Ascent housing project, which is planned to be built on 2.85 acres along upper Broadway Avenue. The plans call for 106 units – a mix of one-, two – and three-bedrooms – 16 of which will be affordable. Now it’s just a matter of the financing as to when the dirt will get moving. The project’s developer, Utah-based Cruachan Capital, has until Nov. 15 before its approval permits expire – the project was approved in November 2019 – and needs to either get the project started or ask for an extension. … ” Read more from Monterey Weekly.
Grover Beach failed to properly notice proposed water rate increase
“Grover Beach failed to properly inform rate payers of a plan to increase water and sewer rates by 112%, an error that is expected to cost residents $8,000. At its meeting on Sept. 5, a consultant recommended the Grover Beach City Council raise their rates to cover the cost of Central Coast Blue, a recycled water project designed to establish a dependable water supply for residents and businesses of Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande and Pismo Beach. The city is also in need of critical sewer system upgrades. City staff proposed a 19.7% annual water and sewer rate increase for four years, along with a 4% increase in the fifth year. … ” Read more from Cal Coast News.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
‘Only one person can be king.’ Fresno family takes Resnick’s empire to court
“Four years ago, two of the biggest farmers in California sent messages to each other regarding the biggest farmer in America: Stewart Resnick. What the messages made clear is that Resnick’s personal relationship had started to fray with Farid Assemi, a pistachio grower and home builder who had immense acres on the west side of Fresno County. Who was stepping in as peacemaker: it was none other than John Vidovich, the second biggest grower in the state, who had a reputation for feuding over land and water with other big growers. The subject matter at hand was whether Assemi had betrayed his friendship with Resnick. In the previous months, Assemi had threatened Resnick by taking steps to build the state’s biggest pistachio processing facility in west Fresno County – a facility even bigger than the one Resnick had outside of Lost Hills in Kern County. Resnick, a man who controlled 60-65% of California’s pistachio supply, perceived this as a direct challenge to his reign. … ” Read more from Fresnoland.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
U.S. Green Building Council-L.A. releases white paper on the nexus between water, energy & carbon
“The U.S. Green Building Council – Los Angeles (USGBC-LA) today is releasing a white paper, “The Energy Cost of Water”, a comprehensive effort to delve into a crucial, but often overlooked aspect of water management – the embedded energy and carbon costs associated with water usage. For this paper, the regional focus is the arid landscape of Southern California, with a specific focus on Los Angeles. The paper is produced in collaboration with USGBC-LA’s Los Angeles Sustainability Roundtable (LASER), which is composed of the region’s top corporate sustainability executives and leaders, and supported in part by the 50L Home Coalition (convened by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and the World Economic Forum), and Southern California Gas Company. The white paper was presented last week as part of USGBC-LA’s final Thought Leadership Series event of 2023. The event discussed the paper’s findings; how we can be more efficient with our use of water, energy and carbon; and unpacked the policy and funding landscapes around the energy intensity of water use. … ” Read more from the Green Building Council LA.
Board tightens rules for testing water discharged from Santa Susana Field Lab site
“Officials with the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board have voted to require Boeing to better monitor water discharged from Santa Susana Field Lab that is tucked in the hills between San Fernando and Simi valleys. The board unanimously voted last week to approve a new five-year permit that requires Boeing, which along with the federal government owns the Santa Susana site, to perform a more precise level of testing of water discharged from the site. … The vote came a few weeks after the watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, or PEER, released a report showing that two highly toxic chemicals are not being monitored at the Santa Susana Field lab and potentially could leak into the Los Angeles River. … ” Read more from the LA Daily News.
SAN DIEGO
Hearing on tentative cease-and-desist order for Ramona egg ranch moved to Nov. 8
“The California Regional Water Quality Control Board has pushed back discussion of the proposed cease-and-desist order for the egg processing facility and composting practices at Pine Hill Egg Ranch to its Nov. 8 board meeting. Part of the reason for moving the meeting from Oct. 11 was the high number of responses to public comment, with about 60 people sharing their experiences and opinions, said Christina Arias, representative of the prosecution team for the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board. Arias said inspectors with the regional water quality board observed that the method used for treating wastewater at the egg processing facility did not remove contaminants. This water was seen to flow down into stormwater basins on the property, she said. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Tijuana River Valley Project to start in early 2024
“A $5 million cleanup project in the Tijuana River Valley will begin in early 2024, with a completion date before the end of March, officials said on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 in favor of dredging drainage channels and building a basin for sediment and trash control in the Smuggler’s Gulch and Pilot channels. The Smuggler’s Gulch channel enters the United States from Mexico and runs north until it crosses the Pilot Channel and flows into the Tijuana River and finally to the Pacific Ocean. The funding comes from a $4.25 million grant from the state Water Resources Control Board for dredging and channel work and $750,000 from the county’s 2023-24 fiscal year budget to maintain Smuggler’s Gulch. … ” Read more from KPBS.
Biden seeks $310M to fix plant fouling San Diego beaches
“President Joe Biden is asking that lawmakers grant $310 million in emergency spending to fix the sewage pollution from Mexico that is wreaking havoc on South County communities. The administration on Wednesday sent to Congress a supplemental funding request of $55.8 billion for natural disasters, child care and other expenses, which includes a petition “to prevent and reduce sewage flows and contamination in Southern California through support for ongoing design and construction at the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant.” … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Along the Colorado River …
How a 1980 law prevents rural Arizona communities from controlling their groundwater
“In the drought, water is a scarce, invaluable resource. The Valley relies mostly on surface water from melting snowpack in the mountains. People in rural Arizona have to rely more on groundwater, and they have no way of telling just how much is down there. Leaders in the high country, like Coconino County Supervisor Patrice Horstman, are fighting to know how much groundwater is left or where exactly it is. “What we need is to be able to decide our own future and what that means is we need to be able to look underneath to see what water exists,” Horstman said. “We can’t even look there right now.” With so many communities relying on this water, if it runs dry, that could be devastating for local businesses, tourism, and simply day-to-day life like showing and clean drinking water. … ” Read more from Arizona Family.
New Mexico’s largest fire wrecked this city’s water source
“The largest fire in New Mexico history began with a disastrous government agency blunder. Its consequences for land and a small northern New Mexico city’s water were magnified by man-made climate change. In the first week of April 2022, the U.S. Forest Service was setting a controlled burn in Santa Fe National Forest near the rocky promontory of Hermit’s Peak. A tool to thin overgrown forests, prescribed fires are intended to reduce the risk of hundred-thousand-acre megafires that have recently incinerated the American West. Fanned by shifting winds blowing across dry timber, the deliberately ignited flames jumped containment lines. Then a dormant fire in nearby Calf Canyon reignited and merged with the blaze beneath Hermit’s Peak. Combined, the fire grew into an uncontrolled juggernaut that burned 341,735 acres of public and private land over four months. … ” Read more from the Circle of Blue.
In national water news today …
Some companies using lots of water want to be more sustainable. Few are close to their targets
“Major corporations in water-guzzling industries such as clothing, food, beverage and technology want to be better stewards of the freshwater they use — especially as drought, floods and other extreme weather intensified by climate change threaten their supply chains. But of 72 companies ranked by a sustainability nonprofit over the past year, few are close to achieving their 2030 targets. Last year, Ceres launched an effort to press companies with large water footprints to protect those resources and address related financial risks. On Wednesday, the group released an analysis that found most of the assessed companies — including such powerhouses as Coca-Cola, General Mills and Amazon — have set targets but aren’t close to meeting them. “There’s no doubt that companies need to do better,” said Kirsten James, senior program director for water at Ceres. … ” Read more from the Associated Press.
Johnson maps out ambitious agenda
“House Republicans are diving right back into their legislative agenda and promising results after finally settling on a House speaker. But after three weeks of chaos and infighting, it’s unclear whether House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will have more luck than deposed Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Johnson, who was sworn in Wednesday, restarted floor action on the long-stalled fiscal 2024 Energy-Water bill. That bill is part of an ambitious calendar Johnson laid out for Congress’ must-pass bills. In an Oct. 23 memo to colleagues, Johnson pledged that the House, under his leadership, would work through the eight remaining appropriations bills between now and Nov. 17, when the government would shut down absent congressional action. The Energy-Water bill, he said, would be followed next week by the bill to fund the Department of the Interior and EPA. Both Energy-Water and Interior-EPA have deep cuts and have no shot of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate. … ” Read more from E&E News.
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
REGISTER NOW: 2023 Delta Invasive Species Symposium: Making Connections: Understanding connectivity in an invaded estuary
NOW AVAILABLE: Water Temperature Modeling Platform Peer Review Final Report
