In California water news this weekend …
DAN WALTERS: Another wet winter looms. California needs to get serious about water management
“Oct. 1 is the beginning of what hydrologists call the “water year.” Historically, California’s reservoirs are near their lowest levels by this point after months of being drawn down, mostly to irrigate fields and orchards, during the state’s precipitation-free summer. This October is quite different. Last winter’s heavy rain and snow storms, generated by a series of atmospheric rivers, filled reservoirs even as dam managers fully opened their gates to send as much water downstream as possible. So much rain and snow fell in the southern San Joaquin Valley that Tulare Lake, once one of the nation’s largest natural lakes, was recreated, and threatened the town of Corcoran. … Hydrologists and meteorologists, moreover, are telling Californians that they may see a repeat in the months ahead, thanks to a phenomenon known as El Niño, and it potentially could surpass last winter’s storms. … ” Read more from Dan Walters.
California’s young ‘water buffalo’ JB Hamby spurs united Colorado River rescue, for now
“It was a rough debut. JB Hamby, 26 years old, had rocketed to the innermost circle of state and federal officials charged with saving the Colorado River from collapse. In mid-January, he was elected to chair California’s river board, representing Imperial Irrigation District, by far the biggest recipient of the overused river’s supply. Federal officials had bluntly threatened to impose mandatory cuts across the region if huge voluntary reductions weren’t made. But 12 days later, after contentious closed-door talks, he watched in dismay as media outlets across the U.S. published stories about six states releasing a joint plan to save the river, with only his state, California, refusing to sign on. It was a baptism by near drowning for the youngest “water buffalo,” as negotiators of Colorado River agreements have historically called themselves. But Hamby didn’t respond angrily or publicly. Instead he wrote individual thank-you notes to top negotiators in every other state, and asked if he could meet with each to discuss mutual solutions. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun. | Read via Yahoo News.
Historic rains boosted California’s depleted groundwater wells. How long will it last?
“After years of drought sapped groundwater in California, water tables rose as a result of the last rainy spring — with the largest year-over-year water level increases seen in the Bay Area. And forecasters are predicting another rainier than average winter, which could further lift supplies. A small but measurable percentage of Bay Area wells reached historic highs this year — more than in any other region measured by the California Department of Water Resources. “I was actually pretty impressed by how much water they did get in the ground this last year,” said Jean Moran, a hydrology expert at Cal State East Bay, though she noted that more years of significant rainfall would be needed to make a big dent. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
The modern-day gold diggers of California: ‘It doesn’t take much to catch the fever’
“Way out in the wild center of southern California, in a scrubby patch of desert a few hours from Los Angeles, some things haven’t changed much in the last 200 years. Not a single building dots the horizon, the only road in sight is rutted and made of packed sand – and a small group of prospectors hunch over dirt-caked tools to pull gold out of the ground. The three are all members of a club called the Hi Desert Gold Diggers, a non-profit made up of gold-digging enthusiasts who’ve been scouring this landscape for years. Harkening back to the days of the Old West, the group offers members a real-life treasure hunt: follow a map with a set of remote coordinates, find the parcel of land and start digging. When and if they find buried treasure, they collect vials of the small pieces of gold, and then either keep them, turn them into jewelry or even sell them. … ” Read more from The Guardian.
In people news this weekend …
Promotions, passings, profiles – submit people news items to maven@mavensnotebook.com.
Phil Isenberg, former Chair of the Delta Stewardship Council, has passed away
“Phil Isenberg, a former Sacramento mayor and one of the most influential Democratic members of the Assembly in the 1980s and 1990s, died Thursday after a short illness. He was 84. A UC Berkeley-educated lawyer whose public career spanned 50 years, Isenberg worked for a time for Willie Brown’s San Francisco law firm as he rose in Democratic politics in the 1960s. Later, he became Assemblyman Brown’s lead staffer when Brown chaired the powerful Ways & Means Committee, served as Sacramento mayor from 1975-1982, and won an Assembly seat in 1982 representing Sacramento. … In the Assembly, Isenberg was an inside player known for his quick wit, focus on detail and policy, and an ability to form alliances with Republicans. He focused on judicial issues and the environment, working to preserve the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and negotiating a deal to help save Mono Lake. … ” Read more from Capitol Weekly.
SEE ALSO:
- In Memoriam: Phil Isenberg, from the Public Policy Institute
- Phil Isenberg’s legacy at Mono Lake, from the Mono Lake Committee
- Chief Justice Issues Statement on Passing of Phil Isenberg, from EIN
- ‘A giant in this community.’ Former Sacramento mayor, assemblyman Phil Isenberg dies, from the Sacramento Bee
California Water Service Group announces election of Jeffrey Kightlinger to Board of Directors
“California Water Service Group (Group) (NYSE: CWT) today announced the election of Jeffrey Kightlinger, 63, to the Group’s Board of Directors, effective Nov. 1, 2023. Kightlinger has the distinction of having been the longest serving Chief Executive Officer of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the largest municipal water supplier in the nation. In this capacity, he oversaw the agency’s $1.8 billion budget along with water and power operations serving 19 million residents in Southern California. During his tenure, he negotiated strategic agreements on the Colorado River and the 50-year renewal of Hoover Dam hydroelectric power. He also took a leadership role in supporting a plan to build twin tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to keep water flowing to Southern California while protecting endangered species. … ” Read more from Yahoo Finance.
San Francisco Chronicle reporter wins California water reporting award
“Longtime Chronicle environmental reporter Kurtis Alexander has won a major statewide water reporting prize. The award, presented in Sacramento on Wednesday, is given by the Water Education Foundation, a group widely respected for nonpartisan work on water issues. Jenn Bowles, the foundation’s executive director, cited the “great context” that Alexander weaves into his stories. Alexander “provides a clear picture on why various issues surrounding our most critical natural resources are important,” she said in a statement that singled out his stories on the removal of the Klamath dams; water rights reform; and a long, visually compelling piece on the “Big Melt” after California’s winter storms. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Podcasts …
KQED’S THE CALIFORNIA REPORT: California looks to restore floodplains to protect communities from impacts of climate change
Water is the lifeblood of agriculture But as climate change brings more extreme weather, farming towns in the Central Valley face increasing risks from both drought and flooding. But an innovative solution is scaling up with new state investments. Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED
WEST COAST WATER JUSTICE: Empty wells, poisoned aquifers, and radioactive crops: Big Oil in CA
We interview Jesus Alonso and Ngodoo Atume from Clean Water Action in California. Ngodoo is a Senior Water Policy Analyst and Jesus serves as Clean Water Action’s Kern County Gas and Oil Organizer. We learn about California’s Central Valley communities that do not have safe drinking water, some that have to pay for contaminated water, and others whose wells have been poisoned or sucked dry. Jesus shares stories from his community, in Kern County, we hear about what it’s like living and attending school next door to an oil pumpjack and the health risks associated. We learn about the fossil fuel industry’s chemical and radioactive-laced wastewater and how it is sold to farmers and used to grow food in five California water districts.
THE NEGOTIATORS: How negotiators navigated the thorny issue of water rights between Mexico and the US
You may have heard about the Colorado River negotiations that ended in May. In a monumentally important agreement, several U.S. states along the Colorado River agreed to cut water use. We will cover that deal in next week’s show. But for today’s episode of The Negotiators, we hear about an earlier round of Colorado River talks between the United States and Mexico. These binational talks from 2007 to 2012 tell us something about resource scarcity and the delicate negotiations required to address the issue. Bruno Verdini, a professor of negotiations at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, followed the talks closely and interviewed just about everyone involved for his book, Winning Together: The Natural Resource Negotiation Playbook. Host Jenn Williams talks to Verdini about how the agreement not only reduced water consumption but also benefited each side in multiple ways.
TAPPED: A generational battle: How a tribe’s concern over mining contamination on ancestral homelands brought Biden to Arizona
For people who visit or call Grand Canyon National Park home, the water issues mainly come around moving water up to the rim where the homes, hotels, and other businesses sit. But, head downstream to one of the most remote tribal nations in America, and the water issues are very different. The Havasupai people’s land sits in the canyon, surrounded on all sides by the park. They’re not worried about pumping the water up. Their worries are about what trickles down. Upstream from them sits an area where uranium mining was once plentiful. And that atomic-age history is causing concerns about water quality.
Sunday video …
Video: California’s water crisis explored in ‘Our America: Trouble On Tap’
California has a water problem. After years of drought, it seemed as if no relief was in sight. Then came January 2023, when the Golden State was hit with 31 atmospheric rivers, record rainfall and a historic snowpack. But what happens when too little becomes too much? In Episode III of, “Our America: Trouble on Tap,” we explore the last year in which California transitioned from a drought-stricken state, to having too much water with nowhere to go.
In regional water news this weekend …
NORTH COAST
Klamath Community College launches well drilling program
“Addressing a major need in the Klamath Basin, Klamath Community College (KCC) has launched a new well drilling program that will provide training for licensure of well drillers and well construction workers. Partnered closely with KCC’s welding program, students can acquire a welding and pipe welding certificate, and be instructed in well construction – including 90 hours of hands-on training for vertical and horizontal drilling. The program will also include job site safety training, and preparation for testing on laws and codes to acquire well drillers licensure, and the American Welding Society’s pipe welding certification. “We are happy to work with current professionals in the field to train the next generation of state-qualified well drillers,” said Chris Stickles, KCC dean of Career and Technical Education. … ” Read more from Klamath Alerts.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Tahoe Keys Weeds Test wraps up second year
Jesse Patterson, Chief Strategy Officer, League to Save Lake Tahoe; and Dennis Zabaglo, Aquatic Invasive Species Program Manager, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency; write, “You’ve heard it before: aquatic invasive species are the greatest ecological threat to Lake Tahoe’s water quality and clarity. They outcompete native species, affect nutrient cycling, and impact algal growth, which can turn Lake Tahoe’s beautiful blue water green. Nowhere is that threat more visible than in the warm, shallow lagoons of the Tahoe Keys, where invasive plants clog the water. Fragments of those plants regularly break off and float away – carried by currents, watercraft, and people – to other parts of the Lake, where they can resprout and start new infestations. After decades fighting the growing weed problem, the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association worked with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, League to Save Lake Tahoe, and other partners to develop the Tahoe Keys Control Methods Test project. This comprehensive test of methods will help determine how best to reduce and control invasive plants in the lagoons and prevent the infestation from spreading further into the Lake. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Battle Creek: Low numbers of salmon returning could mean long road to recovery
“The number of salmon returning to Battle Creek for spawning this year is some of the lowest in decades. Staff at the Coleman National Fish Hatchery say the numbers likely mean it will take years before populations recover. According to the project lead of the hatchery, Brett Galyean, this year, only 5,000 Chinook Salmon returned to spawn. A sharp drop from the 10,000 last year and the second-lowest the hatchery has seen in two decades. Galyean says the low number of salmon returning will make it harder to collect the 12 million eggs they hope to get that would let them release a large generation of smelts in the spring of 2024. … ” Read more from KRCR.
BAY AREA
Marin water suppliers support Mendocino plant proposal
“Marin water agencies are backing a proposal from a coalition of organizations in Sonoma and Mendocino counties to buy portions of a PG&E hydropower plant to enable water diversion. The boards representing the Marin Municipal Water District and the North Marin Water District agreed this month to submit a letter to federal and state legislators supporting the proposal to transfer ownership of the plant. The proposal centers around the Potter Valley Project, a 110-year-old hydropower plant in Mendocino County. Water diverted by the plant feeds into the Russian River watershed, which is a key part of Marin’s water portfolio. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
Editorial: As MMWD takes action, it must also make investment
The Marin Independent Journal editorial board writes, “Just over 11 months ago, voters in the Marin Municipal Water District voted to overhaul its elected board of directors. They elected three new directors, replacing a board member who decided to retire and rejecting two other veterans who were seeking re-election. The results largely reflected MMWD customers’ frustration over the close call they faced in 2020 when a prolonged drought left the district facing the peril of running out of water. MMWD customers had done a good job of conserving water, but without rain – or other sources – the district’s leaders warned the district could run dry. … ” Continue reading from the Marin Independent Journal.
Marin sea-level defense costs estimated at $17B
“Marin County is facing about $17 billion in expenses to protect itself from the rising sea, the second highest cost estimate in the Bay Area, according to a state planner. Dana Brechwald, a climate official at the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, cited the cost Tuesday while briefing the Board of Supervisors on Senate Bill 272. The legislation, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law in July, requires coastal counties to develop a plan to prepare for sea-level rise by Jan. 1, 2034. According to the commission, the state regulatory agency that oversees the bay, it will cost Bay Area counties $110 billion to protect themselves from the effects of about 4.9 feet of sea level rise through 2050. “Alameda and Marin County have the highest cost estimates,” Brechwald said, “which aligns with their vulnerability to sea-level rise.” … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
Flood protection agencies gear up for rainy season
“Officials from the Santa Clara Valley Water District, Santa Clara County and the city of San Jose alerted the public on Oct. 25 to the risks of flooding this rainy season, providing directions to preparation and emergency resources. “This winter, the climate prediction center at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration is forecasting a higher probability of above normal rainfall,” said Brian Garcia, the warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in the Bay Area. Last winter, dozens of atmospheric river storms dumped a record-setting amount of rain and snow, causing power outages and downed trees in the region. Water ponding in low-lying and poor drainage areas, including near-blocked culverts and storm drains, impacted Santa Clara County communities and roadways, according to the county’s emergency response center. … ” Read more from the Gilroy Dispatch.
CENTRAL COAST
Boosting Elkhorn Slough climate change plan
“The Transportation Agency for Monterey County has received $1 million from the state to help plan for sea level rise in Elkhorn Slough, including raising a portion of Highway 1 that runs through the area. The funding was announced earlier this week in a press conference led by Assemblymember Dawn Addis, D-Morro Bay, and State Senator John Laird, D-Santa Cruz. “We have to do this in a thoughtful way,” said Addis at the Moss Landing press conference. “After the winter storms, when Monterey Peninsula almost became Monterey island (because of flooding), I knew that this project had to get started.” The infrastructure updates will not only impact the sensitive habitat of Elkhorn Slough but also the everyday commuters, commercial freight, and tourism. … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Gustine stays out of federal flood insurance program
“A resolution that would have set in motion the City of Council opening up eligibility for residents to purchase flood insurance under aa FEM administered program failed to gain ground when the Gustine City Council members opted to not bring a motion forth at Tuesday’s meeting. The National Flood Insurance Program is a Federal Emergency Management Agency program that lets homeowners purchase flood insurance, which is not a typical benefit of homeowners insurance. But residents are not allowed to participate in the program if a jurisdiction has elected to not be included in the NFIP. During the severe winter storms earlier this year some Gustine residents attempted to obtain flood insurance and were informed they were ineligible because the City had not opted to participate in the NFIP. … ” Read more from Westside Connect.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
What El Niño means for winter weather in Southern California
“An El Niño climate pattern is in place as Southern California enters winter and what are historically the region’s wettest months of the year. So what does the seasonal variation mean for SoCal’s weather in the months ahead? El Niño is a warming of the water in the equatorial Pacific off the coast of South America, typically during the winter months. We categorize El Niño strengths based on the how far the water temperature is from normal. The categories range from “Weak” to “Very Strong.” El Niño is a seasonal variation, not an individual weather system. … ” Read more from NBC 4.
CalTrout successfully defends petition to protect southern steelhead in court
“California Trout is leading the effort to list Southern California steelhead as endangered under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). On October 25, 2023, we successfully defended this listing in California Superior Court in Los Angeles. This victory brings us one step closer to providing these fish the protections they deserve. Southern steelhead are important indicators of healthy watersheds and well-functioning river ecosystems, but they are on the brink of extinction. Steelhead runs that historically numbered in the tens of thousands in Southern California rivers are down to single digits today. It is time for the state of California to take meaningful action and fully protect this important fish. “As predicted, the strength of our underlying petition really carried the day,” said Redgie Collins, CalTrout’s Legal and Policy Director. “Ruling in CalTrout’s favor, Judge Chalfant noted the scientific rigor of our petition, which is a testament to the hard work and diligence of CalTrout’s Dr. Sandra Jacobson and Russell Marlow.” … ” Read more from CalTrout.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Public event marks start of work on North Shore Salton Sea project
“Riverside County and Salton Sea officials held a public event Oct. 19 in North Shore to mark reaching a significant milestone in the development of the future North Lake Pilot Demonstration Project. The event was held at the North Shore Beach & Yacht Club Community Center, 99-155 Sea View Drive. The yacht club overlooks the project’s future site along Riverside County’s northern shore of the Salton Sea. State and local officials were in attendance as engineering firm Dudek initiated geophysical survey work. According to the county, the event gave the community a chance to interact with state and local officials, ask questions and learn about how this “much-anticipated” project is coming along. “The project is being implemented by Riverside County on behalf of the grantee, the Salton Sea Authority, with $19.25 million in state funding from the California Department of Water Resources,” according to a statement from the county. … ” Read more from the Desert Review.
IID’s Equitable Water Distribution plan gets a 2023 update
“In the ever-evolving landscape of Imperial Valley’s water distribution, the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) has been at the forefront of maintaining equitable access to this resource. Since 2006, the IID Board of Directors has been developing and implementing the Equitable Distribution Plan (EDP) to ensure that water reaches farm ground. This year marks the latest milestone in their journey with the adoption of the seventh revised EDP in July 2023, bringing about some significant changes, as explained by IID Water Manager Tina Shields at the Oct. 24 regular meeting. According to IID documentation, the IID’s commitment to equitable water distribution began back in 2006 when the Board of Directors adopted Resolution No. 22-2006, which set the wheels in motion for the development and implementation of the EDP. Over the years, the EDP has seen several modifications, including three updates in 2013 and the most recent one in 2023. … ” Read more from the Desert Review.
SAN DIEGO
Army Corps prepares to begin dredging harbor next year
“As ocean sand slips through the breakwater surrounding the Dana Point Harbor and accumulates over the years, boaters say the harbor is once again in need of a dredging. The next dredging event and repairs to the breakwater are anticipated to start in winter 2024, Orange County Fifth District Supervisor Katrina Foley explained. “The harbor needs to be dredged, because the sand is building up, and it’s actually causing a problem for boaters to be able to get through the channel there,” Foley said. The county anticipates dredging roughly 45,000 cubic yards of sand from the Dana Point Harbor, which it will then distribute to beaches to replenish lost sand. Foley noted that the location of where the county will distribute the sand has yet to be determined, but she’d like to see sand replenishments become a routine matter whenever dredging occurs. … ” Read more from the San Clemente News.
San Diego temporarily solved its water crisis by turning ocean water into fresh water. But desalination won’t work everywhere.
“In the early 1990s, San Diego was dying on the vine, starved of water in a series of yearslong droughts. The county, which relied almost entirely on imported water, had to cut back on 30% of its usage and was at risk of losing 50%. At the last minute, a miracle saved San Diego — rain and snow in the desert replenished aquifers, saving the city from intense cutbacks. But the water didn’t extinguish the passion of San Diegans, who after finding themselves in this situation, rallied together to find a way to become more self-sufficient, Jeremy Crutchfield, the water-resources manager at the San Diego County Water Authority, told Insider. Enter the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant. … ” Read more from Business Insider.
Along the Colorado River …
Residential water use in the Colorado River Basin: Insights from flume data
“In this report, Flume Utility & Business Solutions explores what residential water use looks like in the Colorado River Basin today, how that has evolved over time, and how water agencies and utilities can use insights to meet conservation goals.” You must enter your contact information to download the report. Click here to download the report from Water Finance & Management.
Arizona changes course in push to import water
“An Arizona state water agency has dropped a controversial arrangement it made with an Israeli firm to negotiate terms for building a $5.5 billion water desalination plant in Mexico. Instead, the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona will seek competitive bids for a company or other entity to build a water importation project — which may or may not be a desalination plant. The authority has decided not to proceed with measures its governing board adopted in December to start the process of seeking a formal agreement with Israeli-based IDE Technologies to build a desalination plant along the Sea of Cortez on the Sonoran coast. … ” Read more from the Arizona Daily Star.
Water fights in U.S. West inspire new judge training
“Water disputes have become so pervasive in Utah that the state Judicial Council established a new program last year that designates and trains judges to handle these cases. “It was inspired by panic,” says Senior Judge Kate Appleby. She helped create the program, which taps district court judges to serve in this role. Appleby began dreaming it up when she got assigned in 2007 to a particularly unwieldy water case. Litigation tied to what’s called general adjudication is so rare, lengthy and complicated that most judges, such as Appleby, aren’t familiar with how it works. “What inspired me was realizing that I have this humongous case, which would affect thousands of people and endure for decades, and that I had no idea what I was doing,” she says. It took a while to turn Appleby’s dream into reality. Late last year, District Court Judge Laura Scott was named one of Utah’s first water judges. She has a general adjudication of her own, deciding water rights for the Utah Lake-Jordan River watershed, home to about 2 million people. … ” Read more from the Spokesman.
In national water news this weekend …
NASA-ISRO Radar Mission to provide dynamic view of forests, wetlands
“NISAR will help researchers explore how changes in Earth’s forest and wetland ecosystems are affecting the global carbon cycle and influencing climate change. Once it launches in early 2024, the NISAR radar satellite mission will offer detailed insights into two types of ecosystems – forests and wetlands – vital to naturally regulating the greenhouses gases in the atmosphere that are driving global climate change. NISAR is a joint mission by NASA and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), and when in orbit, its sophisticated radar systems will scan nearly all of Earth’s land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days. The data it collects will help researchers understand two key functions of both ecosystem types: the capture and the release of carbon. … ” Read more from NASA.
