In California water news today …
What NOAA’s new snow maps say about California’s upcoming winter
“New maps from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show that a large part of California’s Sierra Nevada has, on average, seen above-normal snowfall during El Niño events. With a strong El Niño pattern predicted to occur this winter, you may jump to the conclusion that the Golden State could see a massive snow pile-up this year. But Michelle L’Heureux, a physical scientist at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, cautions against viewing the maps as a forecast for what is likely to happen this winter. Rather, they are historical data that show how snowfall deviated from the average in winters marked by El Niño weather patterns. On the map, which uses data from 1959 to 2023, brown depicts less-than-normal snowfall and blue is above normal. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
Wet start to the week before cool, dry pattern develops in Northern California
“A series of cold fronts on Sunday and Monday will produce rain and snow across Northern California to start the work week. The fronts moving through the region will pull in moisture from a weak early-season atmospheric river that has been producing beneficial rain and snow across the Pacific Northwest. The initial front traversed Northern California on Sunday morning, producing light rain, even into the Sierra where temperatures are still too warm to produce snow. That will change Sunday night as another front pushes through. Snow levels will drop as colder air filters behind this secondary front and the Sierra can expect anywhere from about an inch of fresh snow at 5000-6000 feet to upwards of 6 inches at higher elevations. … ” Continue reading at Channel 10.
SEE ALSO:
- California weather: Heavy rain, thunderstorms and mountain snow are in forecast, from the San Francisco Chronicle
- Winter Weather Advisory to impact Truckee/Tahoe area Monday afternoon, from the Tahoe Daily Tribune
California is 100% drought free
“California is 100% drought free for the first time in over three years, according to the California Drought Monitor. Roughly 5% of Northern California and Southeast California are “abnormally dry,” but are not considered to be drought-stricken. The news comes as California is forecast to receive above-average rainfall for the winter season, according to the Farmer’s Almanac. … ” Read more from Fox 11.
New funding and coordinated action to help bring California salmon back from the brink
“The Office of Habitat Conservation’s Restoration Center has awarded an unprecedented $27.8 million to its California salmon restoration partners through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. The funding is dedicated to bringing Central California Coast coho salmon back to California rivers. NOAA designated CCC coho as a Species in the Spotlight due to its high risk of extinction. Trout Unlimited, the San Mateo and Gold Ridge Resource Conservation Districts, and The Nature Conservancy will implement or design more than 40 projects over the next 3 to 4 years with these funds. These projects will allow salmon to reach their historic spawning grounds by removing barriers and increase their survival rates by restoring degraded habitat and increasing floodplain access. In addition, the project partners will work with landowners to develop land management practices that benefit both fish and people. … ” Continue reading from NOAA Fisheries.
Bringing the lab to the field – CRISPR technology rapidly identifies chinook salmon run type
“Perhaps the most essential skill for any field biologist is the ability to distinguish between the different species they are studying. Of course, this is often easier said than done, and things can get even more granular when distinguishing between groups within species, such as the four different runs of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the rivers of California’s Central Valley. Two of these – winter- and spring-run – are listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as endangered and threatened, respectively, but even the most seasoned biologist would not be able to visually distinguish them from one another, nor from unlisted fall- and late-fall-run fish. It’s in cases like this when the gold standard of species ID – genetics – becomes essential. However, digging into the DNA of fish means sending samples to the lab and waiting days for results. Or at least that was the way it worked until the advent of CRISPR, which may offer a means of placing the power of a molecular laboratory in the pocket of a field biologist. … ” Read more from FishBio.
California water supply and strategy bills get bipartisan support in Sacramento
“A long-term update to the California Water Plan received unanimous bipartisan support in the California Senate this session and may be brought back next year after more logistical aspects can be considered. SB 366 is co-sponsored by the California Municipal Utilities Association, California Council for Environmental & Economic Balance, and the California State Association of Counties. More than 100 industry and agriculture organizations have registered their support. The Assembly Analysis notes that the bill would codify strategies from the state’s August 2022 water plan. SB 366 was introduced by state Sen. Anna M. Caballero, D-Merced, and the announcement details the importance of long-range water supply targets while capturing and producing enough water for communities, agriculture, and the environment. … ” Continue reading at the NorCal Record.
California Forever project on tap at SCWA meeting
“Flannery’s proposed California Forever community development will be discussed by the Solano County Water Agency directors at their next meeting on Thursday. “Staff have met with California Forever CEO Jan Sramek to discuss water supplies within the county. To give the board context, staff will provide an overview of the water supply portfolio,” the staff report to the board states. “Mr. Sramek intimated that they have an interest in providing financial assistance in furthering the studies to show the multi-benefits of the Water + Project (NBA Alternate Intake Project). He also stated that they would be in discussions with other State Water Contractors to see if there is interest in selling water to California Forever so that local State Water Project supplies of member agencies would not be affected,” the staff report states. … ” Continue reading at the Daily Republic.
When the levee breaks in Solano
“Buyers interested in purchasing an island for sale for $75 million off of the southern coast of Solano County may want to slide their sizable wallets back in their pockets after a recent development. The owner of the island, Point Buckler, announced that the Attorney General’s office of California placed a levy on the property last weekend, the latest step in a years-long legal battle over the location. The 39 acre island in the Suisun Marsh garnered coverage from national publications including the Los Angeles Times and Business Insider when it went up for sale in late September, but has been embroiled in legal issues and regulatory disputes since shortly after its purchase by owner John Sweeney in 2007. … ” Read more from the Vallejo Times-Herald.
Upcoming deadlines for water agencies for PFAS settlements
“Deadlines are upcoming related to the multi-district per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) litigation. The relevant settlements are with DuPont, Chemours, and Corteva (collectively, DuPont) and 3M, parties who allegedly manufactured various PFAS chemicals. The currently-pending settlements cover $1.185 billion for DuPont and $10.5-$12.5 billion for 3M. The litigation is focused on alleged contamination of drinking water caused by DuPont’s and 3M’s alleged manufacture of PFAS chemicals. … ” Read more from Nossaman’s California Water Views.
After salmon kills, EPA takes aim at toxic chemical issuing from tires
“The Environmental Protection Agency will review the use of a chemical found in tires that has been linked with the deaths of salmon on the U.S. West Coast. Spurred by a petition from West Coast tribes, the EPA will study the impact of the rubber preservative 6PPD with an eye to potentially banning its use. Through normal wear and tear, tires shed tiny bits of rubber rich in 6PPD. The preservative reacts with ozone pollution to form 6PPD-q, which is toxic to fish. Rainfall washes the chemical from streets and parking lots into streams and rivers. In the Pacific Northwest, 6PPD-q has proved deadly to coho salmon. … ” Read more from Yale e360.
Reallocating environmental risk
“Living the good life has often meant finding ways to allow for growth and construction while ostensibly protecting the natural environment on which we depend. Want to build a housing development, but there’s a wetland in the way? Mitigate the harm by building a new one somewhere else. Want to dam a river, but there’s a salmon run in the way? Build fish passage around the dam. If that’s not feasible, build a hatchery instead. Want to log a forest, but worried about loss of downstream ecosystem services? Allow the harvest, with buffers and a few trees left behind to maintain essential services. Techno-optimism and overconfidence makes it easy to say yes and assume we can mitigate the impacts. Saying yes is much easier than saying no. Unfortunately, these creative approaches often fail. … ” Read more from the California Water Blog.
Can seawalls save us? Huge coastal barriers could protect the world’s cities. But they’ll have unexpected costs.
“Pacifica, California, just south of San Francisco, is the kind of beachfront community that longtime residents compare to Heaven. One of its streets is called Paradise Drive; local fishermen brag that Pacifica Pier is among the state’s best places to catch salmon, striped bass, and crab. Every few years, a superbloom blankets the coast with golden wildflowers. When the sun cuts through the region’s famous fog, the sky sometimes glows, as in a Turner painting. Some of Pacifica’s most dramatic views could be found on Esplanade Drive, where mid-century developers built bungalows on top of a cliff. For almost fifty years, residents gazed out from their back yards to see whales splashing in the Pacific. … But then a series of vicious storms, fuelled in part by the warm waters of El Niño, had washed away more than thirty feet of the cliff beneath their homes. … ” Read the full story at the New Yorker.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Klamath River Salmon, the Yurok Tribe, and the Dams Coming Down: A Conversation with Miss Indian World 2023–2024
“In the first weeks of the Covid pandemic in 2020, Tori McConnell took on an assignment for her environmental law class at the University of California, Davis. As she started sketching with colored pencils, an image “just came out of me,” she recalled. “I did not put a lot of thought into it. It came together in a magical way.” The picture that took shape reflected the “undamming of the Klamath River.” At the time, a long-debated proposal to remove outdated dams from the river was beginning to move forward. The Klamath River had once provided her Yurok Tribe with an unending supply of wild West Coast salmon. “The piece is not 100 percent my work,” she recalled. “The truth is it’s more like a gift that I received. I just happened to be the one to draw it.” … ” Read more from NOAA Fisheries.
Major restoration efforts planned for the Big River watershed along the Mendocino Coast
“The Big River watershed is getting a makeover. After 150 years of logging and roadbuilding, agencies and environmental organizations are focusing their efforts on decommissioning and repairing roads, replacing failed and undersized culverts, and restoring diversity to the waterway. During the logging days, timbermen built 29 splash dams on the river to control the movement of the logs they were taking out of the surrounding wilderness. The fast-moving logs scoured the riverbanks, removing the naturally accumulated debris and other little nooks that provide fish with a variety of places to hide or catch food or take refuge from predators and storms. The Big River watershed is about 181 square miles, with four main branches and the longest undeveloped estuary in the state, at about 8 or 9 miles. … ” Read more from Mendo Fever.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
A town re-emerges from the ashes of a devastating wildfire. But five years on, is Paradise for all?
“Stephen Murray drives the streets of Paradise, California, each day, navigating through roadwork and traffic as he takes in the neat dirt lots and gleaming modern farmhouses on his way to job sites. Construction is constant in the Golden state’s fastest growing town. Paradise has a revamped high school, thousands of new homes, recently installed emergency alert sirens and plans for miles of freshly paved roads and underground infrastructure. It’s a stark contrast to the Paradise of 2018, when wildfire leveled the affordable suburban community and killed 85 people. Aided by the return of thousands of residents and billions of dollars, a new Paradise is emerging from the ashes. The community is rebuilding and dreaming of a different future, envisioning a welcoming arts destination and, perhaps, one of America’s most wildfire-prepared towns. … ” Read more from The Guardian.
CENTRAL COAST
Big Basin Water making progress, still long road ahead
“The precarious state of Big Basin Water Co. is beginning to stabilize, but the private water provider still faces a long and bumpy road ahead. That was the message delivered by Big Basin’s newly appointed receiver late Thursday night to a crowd of roughly 50 customers packed into the Boulder Creek Fire District station along with 40 more who tuned in via Zoom. The meeting featured Nicolas Jaber, an attorney and project manager of receiverships with Silver and Wright LLP, which is the law firm tasked in early October by a Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge with managing the water system and bringing it back into compliance with regional standards. Jaber, who promised the informational gathering would be the first of many to come, started the evening off with some positive news. … ” Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
State officials reassessed oil containment strategies at Carmel River State Beach
“A handful of locals, county officials and tribal representatives gathered at Carmel River State Beach to watch as The California Department of Fish and Wildlife reassessed its oil containment strategies to protect the Carmel River Lagoon, Wednesday morning. The lagoon is considered a sensitive habitat that’s at risk of an oil spill as it’s directly connected to the ocean. “If there were an oil spill offshore we would want to keep it from the shoreline as best we can and from the most sensitive sites. This [the Carmel River Lagoon] is one of those sensitive sites,” CDFW spokesperson Eric Laughlin said. … ” Read more from KSBY.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Springville citizens grapple tightened measures on water
“Residents of River Island Water District have been put under Stage 5 conservation restrictions by their water provider Del Oro Water Company (DOWC), after they were allegedly unable to meet the requirements put in place by Stage 4 measures. According to the Water Warriors Against Del Oro (WWADO) — a group of residents who have taken issue with their water supplier — Del Oro has enacted Stage 5 due to “River Island District customers (failing) to conserve enough water,” which became effective Oct. 25. … ” Read more from the Foothills Sun-Gazette.
Superior court preliminarily enjoins city of Bakersfield to protect fish below Kern River weirs
“On October 30, 2023, the Kern County Superior Court preliminarily enjoined the City of Bakersfield (“City”) from operating six Kern River weirs in a way that reduces flows below the amount sufficient to keep downstream fish in “good condition.” The ruling in Bring Back the Kern et al. v. City of Bakersfield (BCV-22-103220) seems likely to result in further development of the law regarding the application of Fish and Game Code section 5937 (“Section 5937”) and the public trust doctrine. The Kern River is approximately 165 miles long and flows through the City. According to the ruling, the “vast majority” of the Kern River’s water is diverted each year and, as a result, the river downstream of the City’s Calloway Weir is completely dry for most of each year, except in very wet years or when foreign water is added to the river. The court observed that a portion of the dry downstream reach is adjacent to the City and used by residents for recreation. … ” Read more from Kronick.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Ancient California tree may be threatened by proposed Riverside County development
“It started life near the end of the last Ice Age, nestled between two boulders on a rise in the Jurupa Hills of Riverside County — a shrubby oak tree estimated to be 13,000 years old, making it one of the oldest living organisms on Earth. Devoid of other members of its species – Quercus palmeri or Palmer’s oak — to pollinate it, it is infertile and grows clonally, with new shoots and root systems that tap rainwater collected in cracks in the rocks beneath the surface. “If it had eyes, it would have gazed out at saber-toothed tigers and mastodons,” said Norman Ellsrand, distinguished professor of botany at UC Riverside. But this legendary survivor may soon be looking out at tract homes and warehouses, if the city of Jurupa Valley approves a developer’s proposal. … ” Continue reading at the LA Times.
SAN DIEGO
San Diego sewage recycling system on track, faces challenges
“Crews building San Diego’s Pure Water sewage recycling system continue to pass major milestones, including finishing key stretches of pipeline across the city, tunneling work under Interstate 805 and breaking ground on treatment plants. But they’ve also been faced with some major hurdles and setbacks, including delays caused by lingering supply chain issues and a two-year-old flooding problem on Morena Boulevard that still hasn’t been fully solved. City officials say they’ve softened the impact of the flooding problem by revamping how the system will work short term. But continuing delays could jeopardize a December 2027 deadline to be fully operational. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Oceanside: Firms preparing final pitch for Oceanside sand project that will preserve its shoreline
“Three design teams competing for Oceanside’s sand replenishment and retention project will make their final pitch to the community Dec. 13, with hopes the city will choose one of the proposals in January. Participants in the city’s Re:Beach competition will present their ideas refined with suggestions collected from the public at two previous community meetings. Nearly 250 people participated in the most recent workshop Oct. 17. A jury of local leaders and regional experts will choose a preferred design after the December meeting, and the Oceanside City Council will make the final decision. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Don’t swim at these San Diego beaches, says county health officials
“Attention surfers, swimmers and beach dwellers: San Diego County health officials have released an updated list of beach advisories and closures. Before you haul your board and flippers down to the ocean, make sure you check to see if the beach you are going to is safe to enter. The updated list, which was released Saturday, shows a total of three advisories and four closures along the San Diego coast. What is an advisory when it comes to beaches, and how are closures determined? … ” Read more from Channel 5.
Along the Colorado River …
Winter snow could help recharge the Colorado River. But what if it doesn’t?
“High in the mountains of Colorado, it’s a time of quiet. The summer leaves have given way to bare branches, but the ski slopes haven’t yet filled with tourists—or snow. Soon, the flakes will begin to pile up, burying alpine valleys and recharging the Colorado River. The river – which supplies water to tens of millions of people from Wyoming to Mexico – gets most of its water from high-altitude snow, two-thirds of which falls in Colorado. This winter’s forecast is unclear, but however it unfolds will have an outsized impact on the next few years of region-wide water management. … ” Read more from KUNC.
Arizona state agency proposing use of recycled water to meet demands
“As the state prepares to make deep cuts under a mandate from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Arizona officials are proposing the use of recycled water to meet demands. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality on Thursday released its Advanced Water Purification Proposed Program Roadmap. The proposal detailed plans for the use of advanced treated water facilities to treat effluent water, and further purify it for use as potable water throughout the state. But doing so would require new permitting and new policies for the use of such water, before the program could be implemented. Potential rules for new advanced water purification facilities and practices could continue throughout next year. … ” Read more from Mohave Daily News.
Western Slope water interests make $98.5M play to buy some of the Colorado River’s oldest water rights from Xcel
“Negotiations are underway in Colorado to purchase one of the oldest, largest water rights on the Colorado River within state lines, expanding that water’s legal use to include environmental benefits, and creating one of the most significant opportunities in the state to protect streamflows for fish, habitat and wildlife. Led by the Glenwood Springs-based Colorado River District, the proposed $98.5 million deal would allow a coalition of Western Slope entities to purchase from Xcel Energy the most senior water right on that segment of the river and lease it back to Xcel’s Shoshone Hydropower Plant 8 miles east of Glenwood Springs. … ” Read more from The Journal.
Prohibition on thirsty, decorative grasses in Colorado gains early support among legislators
“Those grassy medians in roads around Colorado might add doses of green to streets, but state water watchers say the turf sucks up too much water and that needs to change. State officials, legislators, water managers and conservation experts are searching for ways to cut water use in face of prolonged drought and concerns about future water supply insecurity. One much-discussed option for urban areas: Finding areas of thirsty turf, like Kentucky bluegrass, that are purely ornamental and removing it. Legislators have proposed a bill that takes that approach a step further by prohibiting new installations of this nonfunctional turf starting in 2025, and the idea got an early vote of support last week. “This isn’t about ripping up turf that already exists,” said Sen. Dylan Roberts, a Summit County Democrat, who is a prime sponsor of the draft bill. “If you have nonfunctional turf you’ll be allowed to keep it if you want. Hopefully you’ll replace it, but we’re not mandating you to.” … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun.
In national water news today …
The EPA has found more than a dozen contaminants in drinking water but hasn’t set safety limits on them
“As far as state and federal officials are concerned, the drinking water in Smithwick, Texas, is perfectly safe. Over the past two decades, the utility that provides water to much of the community has had little trouble complying with the Safe Drinking Water Act, which is intended to assure Americans that their tap water is clean. Yet, at least once a year since 2019, the Smithwick Mills water system, which serves about 200 residents in the area, has reported high levels of the synthetic chemical 1,2,3-trichloropropane, according to data provided by the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization that collects water testing results from states. The chemical, a cleaning and degreasing solvent that is also a byproduct from manufacturing pesticides, is commonly referred to as TCP. … ” Read more from Pro Publica.
EPA restarts assessment of health risks from nitrate in water
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, reversing a Trump-era decision, is restarting a human health assessment of nitrate and nitrite, a move that has potentially far-reaching regulatory implications for one of the country’s most pervasive drinking water contaminants. The EPA suspended its nitrate assessment in December 2018. It was one of nine chemicals that the Trump administration deemed no longer a priority for evaluation by the agency’s health assessment division known as the Integrated Risk Information System, or IRIS. That changed in June when the EPA quietly reinserted the nitrate assessment into the IRIS agenda “to address an agency priority.” The decision to take a closer look at the chemical comes at a time of increased scrutiny and public concern over nitrate exposure and human health. … ” Read more from the Circle of Blue.
House sends Interior-EPA bill off to uncertain future
“The House on Friday morning approved a fiscal 2024 Interior-Environment appropriations package that now appears headed for Capitol Hill limbo even though lawmakers fended off numerous efforts to sharpen the bill’s partisan edge. Following several days of wide-ranging debate and wrangling over more than 100 amendments, the GOP-controlled House approved the $25.4 billion bill by a 213 to 203 margin. Three Republicans voted against the bill, and one Democrat voted for it. The overall bill that funds the Interior Department, EPA and some related agencies provides 35 percent less than the fiscal-2023-enacted level. The bill, H.R. 4821, also would rescind $9.4 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funding provided to EPA, the Presidio Trust and the Council on Environmental Quality. … ” Read more from E&E News.
More news and commentary in the weekend edition …
In California water news this weekend …
The wrong kind of blooms: Climate change, invasive clams are fueling algae growth on Lake Tahoe- As the first major project at the Salton Sea nears completion, what’s next?
- Californians bet farming agave for spirits holds key to weathering drought and groundwater limits
- Atmospheric rivers: What they are and how they impact Northern California weather
- California’s coast, its bluffs and wildlife star in Obi Kaufmann’s new book
- Final plans for Northern California’s Sites Reservoir released
- EPA plans rulemaking on chemical 6ppd over salmon impact
- Extreme weather has triggered over $3 billion in insurance payouts to California farmers since 2001
- New technology could capture carbon and water out of thin air
- Tahoe ski resort opening days are just around the corner. Here are the latest plans
- Nimbus Fish Hatchery’s salmon ladder opens after low oxygen levels in water
- Fresno, Tulare County stay wary amid El Niño advisory
- New Arizona water conservation agreements enough to raise Lake Mead more than 2 feet
- And more …
Click here for the weekend digest.
