On the calendar today …
- WEBINAR: Lessons Learned in Stormwater Capture and Groundwater Recharge in 2022-2023 from 12pm to 1pm. Southern California is not new to unusual weather patterns and this past year did not disappoint. Between getting an abundance of rainfall in the winter season and a surprising tropical storm in August, how much rain did we actually receive and capture this past year? Are we ready for what’s ahead? Hear about what the Orange County Water District is doing to maximize stormwater capture and groundwater recharge opportunities and increase drinking water supplies for Orange County. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
An atmospheric river will bring rain and snow to California this week
“A first of many. California is bracing for a possible atmospheric river to hit the state this week, a particularly wet type of storm that could set the stage for a repeat performance through winter. Last winter, the state was hammered again and again by atmospheric river events that continually dumped rain on an overly saturated ground. Here’s what’s in the forecast: As a storm system slowly meanders off the state’s western coast, waves of rainfall will affect coastal California from Wednesday through Saturday. How much could fall was still uncertain on Monday. Because the storm is moving so slowly, it is difficult to predict how much of the storm will tap into the deep tropical moisture of an atmospheric river. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
Looming California storm harder to forecast than usual, experts say
“National Weather Service meteorologists are painstakingly working to paint a clearer picture of an upcoming storm that’s expected to bring moderate to heavy widespread rainfall to the Bay Area in the coming days, but said details on timing and totals have been more difficult to pinpoint than usual due to the “unique” nature of the weather pattern.“ The models are trending in completely different directions in terms of intensity of rainfall,” Crystal Oudit, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office, said Sunday. “We’re still trying to figure out what model to go with where there’s less uncertainty.” … ” Continue reading at SF Gate.
SEE ALSO:
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- Brewing storm in the Pacific to bring flurry of impacts to California, from AccuWeather
- Rain, wind and storms to ‘linger for several days’ across California, latest forecasts say, from the Sacramento Bee
El Niño intensifies: What does it mean for the US this winter?
“The start of meteorological winter is just four weeks away, and it could be a doozy for some parts of the United States as El Niño heats up and reshapes the weather over North America. El Niño is a phenomenon that occurs when the water near the equator of the eastern Pacific Ocean is at least 0.9 of a degree Fahrenheit (0.5 of a degree Celsius) above the historical average for an extended period of time. It officially developed in early June and has continued to flex its muscles, setting the stage for the first winter with an El Niño since the 2018-19 season. In an update issued by NOAA on Thursday, the agency said that a “strong” El Niño is now present in the Pacific Ocean, and it continues to show signs of strengthening. From NOAA: “There is a greater than 55% chance of at least a ‘strong’ El Niño persisting through January-March 2024,” NOAA said in a press release. “There is a 35% chance of this event becoming ‘historically strong.'” … ” Read more from AccuWeather.
SEE ALSO: El Niño is back: What it could mean for California’s winter, from KTLA
How the winter crop is shaping up for California vegetable growers
“When snow blankets much of the country’s farmland and temperatures drop to single digits, growers in California’s desert regions shift into high gear with their winter vegetable crops. Imperial County grows more than 65 commodities, with head and leaf lettuces, broccoli, spinach and carrots among its top crops. Similarly, Coachella Valley grows everything from cabbage to carrots to cauliflower. Because of mild temperatures in these Colorado Desert regions, along with Central Coast locations such as Salinas and Oxnard, U.S. consumers have access throughout winter to fresh produce including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, lettuces and celery. … ” Read more from The Packer.
California farmers are reeling from loss of powerful congressional allies
“California’s agricultural industry – the nation’s largest food producer — is fighting for its political future. First came the death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a staunch Democratic ally who was unafraid of prioritizing farms over endangered fish in the state’s long-running water wars. Then House Republicans kicked Rep. Kevin McCarthy, a native of the Central Valley’s agricultural heartland, out of the speakership. The sudden loss of two of California’s most effective champions for agriculture has left a political void that the industry is unsure how to fill. Without another Feinstein-like figure emerging from the bench, farmers and lobbyists describe a growing recognition that California agriculture’s political future depends on casting a wider net, especially as climate change promises to shrink water supplies further. … ” Read more from Politico.
Spawning gravel for winter-run salmon being placed in the Sacramento River near Keswick Dam
“More than 21,000 tons of gravel is being placed into the Sacramento River to provide spawning habitat for salmon and trout in the upper reaches of the river and its tributaries. The spawning habitat has been reduced over time due to water flows pushing the gravel downstream. Spanning approximately 200 feet by 80 feet, the new gravel aims to replenish supply in an important historic spawning location near Salt Creek – about a mile south of the Keswick Dam. “We are addressing a need in one of the salmon’s key life stages with the hope that more fish will spawn in the colder waters of Sacramento River,” said Roger Cornwell, President of Reclamation District 108. “With less debris entering the river and creeks naturally, we know it is important to lend a hand to our endangered species.” … ” Continue reading this news release.
Wet and wild: recent symposium reviews five years of wetland restoration in California
“Wetlands are vitally important ecosystems that serve as critical habitat for numerous species of flora and fauna and provide incredibly valuable ecosystem services in the form of carbon sequestration, flood risk reduction, nutrient cycling, and water filtration. Despite their importance, these habitats have been lost at a dramatic rate. … Globally, about 1,544 square miles of tidal wetlands were lost in just the last 20 years. However, as the understanding of the value of healthy wetlands has improved, there have been growing efforts to restore these ecosystems. This is particularly true in the Central Valley of California, which has only about 10% of its historic wetlands remaining. To rebuild these critical habitats, an inter-agency agreement known as the Fish Restoration Program (FRP) was made between the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California Department of Water Resources in 2010. Since its inception, the FRP has made significant strides toward restoring wetlands, and a workshop was hosted by the State Water Contractors on November 1 to review current progress and discuss work that remains to be done. … ” Read more from FishBio.
Trucking Central Valley salmon smolts from hatcheries to salt water
“A November 1, 2023 article, originally published in High Country News and later posted in Maven’s Notebook, describes the practice of trucking juvenile salmon from hatcheries for release in salt water as a “culprit,” stating: “According to a growing body of scientific evidence, it’s also the reason that many salmon are getting lost on their way back to their birth rivers, placing the future resilience of the species at risk…. These trucked hatchery fish may survive longer in the short term, but they will return to the river system years later with massive gaps in their memory and little sense of how to locate their spawning grounds. Instead, many end up wandering up unfamiliar rivers or streams and spawning far from home. ” What the article doesn’t say is that juvenile salmon released directly in San Francisco Bay or San Pablo Bay, or in the ocean, are as much as ten to a hundred times more likely to live to spawn as are juvenile fish released near their hatcheries of origin. … ” Read more from the California Fisheries blog.
SF Baykeeper intends to sue feds for missing congressional deadline to protect longfin smelt
“On October 11, San Francisco Baykeeper put the US Fish and Wildlife Service on notice that the environmental advocacy organization intends to sue the agency for for violating the Endangered Species Act by missing a Congressional deadline for the listing of the longfin smelt. “The agency proposed listing the SF Bay-Delta population of longfin smelt as an endangered species in 2022, but it has failed to meet a deadline established by Congress in the ESA to make a final listing determination or to designate what counts as critical habitat for the imperiled fish,” the organization said in a statement. The longfin smelt is a cousin of the Delta smelt, once the most abundant fish in the entire estuary and now virtually extinct in the wild. … ” Read more from the Daily Kos.
Crawdads: Naturalized Californians
“Crayfish, crawdads, crawfish: whatever you call them, they are everywhere in California’s waters and are as tasty as their lobster relatives. They are especially familiar to anglers who peer into the maw of a bass or pikeminnow or flush their stomachs to see what prey caused the bulging belly. Crawdads are familiar to kids wading in streams, who dare each other to catch one without being pinched. River otters love them as food too. I have watched otters dive in Putah Creek and repeatedly come up with one. With each capture, the otter rolls on its back and crunches the crayfish down. The otters appear to be smiling with satisfaction, smacking their lips. People eating crayfish have the same general appearance. Crayfish are so integrated into California’s aquatic ecosystems that they might be considered as native if you didn’t know their history. … ” Read more from the California Water Blog.
California takes the lead in regulating microplastics in drinking water
“The latest phase in California’s effort to limit microplastics in drinking water may cause legal battles over reportable limits, exposure data and human health effects. The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) will test water supplies for microplastics over the next four years. The result will be SWRCB guidelines setting microplastic levels deemed safe to drink. This process is the outcome of California Senate Bill 1422, passed in 2018, which requires the SWRCB to establish standards for detecting and reporting microplastics in drinking water. … ” Continue reading at the California Globe.
Microplastics limit zooplankton’s algae control
“New research shows that microplastics can limit the ability of zooplankton to control algal proliferation, according to a press release from Purdue University. Uncontrolled algae growth can lead to harmful algal blooms, bringing cause for concern. The study was presented in the journal Science of the Total Environment. The study was among the first to examine the effects of microplastics in a simple food web design. This involved investigating impacts on how zooplankton feed on algae in the presence of different environmentally realistic microplastic concentrations and when faced with risk of predation from fish. … ” Read more from Stormwater Solutions.
Huffman, Merkley introduce bold legislation to take on the growing plastic pollution crisis
“Last week, U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA-02) teamed up with Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley to introduce the bicameral Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act—the most comprehensive plan ever introduced in Congress to address the plastic pollution crisis that is poisoning our air, water, and land, and disproportionately impacting communities of color and low-income Americans. The legislation would reduce plastic production, establish ambitious recycling targets, and protect frontline and fenceline communities from the health and environmental burdens of toxic emissions from the plastics industry through reducing production and by changing the incentives of the industry. … ” Read more from the Del Norte Triplicate.
What happened to Washington’s wildlife after the largest dam removal in US history
“The man made flood that miraculously saved our heroes at the end of O Brother Where Art Thou were an actual occurrence in the 19th and 20th century — and a fairly common one at that — as river valleys across the American West were dammed up and drowned out at the altar of economic progress and electrification. Such was the case with Washington State’s Elwha river in the 1910s. Its dam provided the economic impetus to develop the Olympic Peninsula but also blocked off nearly 40 miles of river from the open ocean, preventing native salmon species from making their annual spawning trek. However, after decades of legal wrangling by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, the biggest dams on the river today are the kind made by beavers. In this week’s Hitting the Books selection, Eat, Poop, Die: How Animals Make Our World, University of Vermont conservation biologist Joe Roman recounts how quickly nature can recover when a 108-foot tall migration barrier is removed from the local ecosystem. This excerpt discusses the naturalists and biologists who strive to understand how nutrients flow through the Pacific Northwest’s food web, and the myriad ways it’s impacted by migratory salmon. … ” Read more from Engadget.
A flesh-eating fungus is expanding its range in the American West – and scientists suspect climate change is driving the spread
“At some point, Erik McIntyre inhaled the fungal spores. He couldn’t see them, or feel them, and it was weeks before he began to lose energy, to drop weight, to cough up blood at a karaoke bar in Arizona. Now that he’s paralyzed from Valley fever, in a nursing home at age 53, the former U.S. Navy electrician’s day begins at 5 a.m. with a rectal tube procedure to release gas trapped in his stomach. The antifungal injections that left him retching and shaking are less frequent now, and the lesions where the fungus grew on his face and arms have faded to scars. But he knows he will never be cured, or probably walk again. “I try not to dwell on what could have been,” he said. McIntyre can imagine the moment he encountered those microscopic spores. He remembers driving across dusty Phoenix suburbs with his windows down. But he can’t be sure. These days, the fungus could be anywhere. … ” Read more from the Washington Post (gift article).
Low-intensity fires reduce wildfire risk by 60%
“There is no longer any question of how to prevent high-intensity, often catastrophic, wildfires that have become increasingly frequent across the Western U.S., according to a new study by researchers at Stanford and Columbia universities. The analysis, published Nov. 10 in Science Advances, reveals that low-intensity burning, such as controlled or prescribed fires, managed wildfires, and tribal cultural burning, can dramatically reduce the risk of devastating fires for years at a time. The findings – some of the first to rigorously quantify the value of low-intensity fire – come while Congress is reassessing the U.S. Forest Service’s wildfire strategy as part of reauthorizing the Farm Bill. “I’m hopeful that policymakers will rely on this work as motivation and support for the scale-up of beneficial fire as a key strategy in preventing wildfire catastrophes,” said study co-author Michael Wara, director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. “Beneficial fire is not without its own risks – but what our study shows is just how large and long-lasting the benefits are of this crucial risk reduction strategy.” … ” Read more from Stanford News.
Stanford researchers publish first paper to quantify how much protection we get from beneficial fires
“Five years after the Camp Fire, the deadliest fire in California’s recorded history, the state is still grappling with how to prevent wildfire destruction and live in harmony with natural fire. New research published Friday from Stanford University and Columbia University points the way forward. In it, researchers quantify for the first time the magnitude of protection an area enjoys following a mild, beneficial fire — such as a prescribed fire — and how long that protection lasts. The authors find that after an area has experienced low-intensity fire, the likelihood of a future high-intensity fire — the kind that grows out of control and takes out neighborhoods — is reduced by 64%. The protection lasts at least six years and then diminishes after that. … ” Read more from KQED.
In commentary today …
It’s about time California built the Sites Reservoir
Columnist George Skelton writes, “California’s state government began drawing up plans for Sites Reservoir in the Sacramento Valley 70 years ago. And it still only exists on paper. So, kudos to Gov. Gavin Newsom for deciding that it’s finally time to put this tardy project on the fast track. Fast track means there’ll be limited time for any opponent to contest the project in court on environmental grounds. Newsom used a new law he pushed through the Legislature in June aimed at making it easier to build transportation, clean energy and water infrastructure by expediting lawsuits under the California Environmental Quality Act. Sites is the first project to be fast-tracked. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
In regional water news and commentary today …
BAY AREA
California Forever CEO gives 1st tour of land purchased in Solano County
“For the first time since a company purchased tens of thousands of acres of land in Solano County, the man behind the mystery gave a tour of the land he bought. California Forever is the group comprising Silicon Valley billionaires, and they have spent some $800 million to buy more than 50,000 acres of land between Fairfield and Rio Vista. The group, which is the parent company of Flannery Associates, said it wants to build a new community on part of that land that would include open space, agriculture, solar farms and habitat conservation. Jan Sramek, the founder and CEO behind California Forever, spoke with KCRA 3 about his vision of bringing the California Dream to Solano County. He said the biggest misconception about the project is “the idea that we are trying to build some kind of utopia.” … ” Read more from KCRA.
What would a new Solano County city mean for Vallejo?
“With stances ranging from skepticism to outright hostility, Vallejo officials are pushing back against what they say is a shamelessly ambitious plan to construct a new city of between 100,000 and 400,000 people in eastern Solano County. Jan Sramek, founder and CEO of California Forever, claims his company’s aspirations of bringing homes to a sparsely populated prairie between Travis Air Force Base and Rio Vista would be a boon for Vallejo’s economy. In an interview, he promised decades of construction jobs and, further down the road, possible high-paid manufacturing jobs – all this, in addition to boosting the county’s finances in a way that could bring needed social services to Vallejo. “Whenever someone opposes the project, I ask, ‘What’s the alternative? What’s your plan?’” Sramek said. “Like, ‘Well, your plan might not work for this reason.’ I’m like, ‘What’s your plan?’ … ” Read more from the Vallejo Times-Herald.
Water pollution lawsuit against Mountain View, Sunnyvale could change course following Supreme Court ruling
“An environmental watchdog is pressing forward with lawsuits against the cities of Mountain View and Sunnyvale in an effort to get them to clean up local creeks. Court filings earlier this year show ongoing disputes between the parties, with cities requesting a judge dismiss the case following a recent Supreme Court ruling. In 2020, San Francisco Baykeeper, a nonprofit organization, filed lawsuits against Mountain View and Sunnyvale, alleging that they violated the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) by releasing raw sewage and polluted storm water into creeks that empty into the Bay. … ” Read more from the Mountain View Voice.
CENTRAL COAST
Rain-rich, faucet-famine: The irony of Boulder Creek’s ongoing water woes
“Over the past year, Boulder Creek received more than 71 inches of rainfall. All winter, throughout the spring and even early summer, the San Lorenzo River and its arteries of creeks, brooks and streams rushed with water. It was a historic season in many ways, but still produced only the second-wettest year over the past decade in this Santa Cruz Mountains region. As Shandra Hunt slowly steered her blue Toyota Prius up the curves of China Grade Road in early November, neighbors were out with shovels, preparing their properties for the weekend forecast of heavy rain and the possibility of the season’s first atmospheric river. … “There’s a lot of water that comes off this mountain — you have no idea, just a ton of water,” said Hunt, who’s lived in Boulder Creek for nearly three decades. Yet, when Hunt or her father turns on the faucet each morning, they are unsure whether anything will come out. … ” Read the full story from Lookout Santa Cruz.
County heralds ‘monumental task’ to finish Santa Maria River realignment near Guadalupe
“Emergency work in the Santa Maria River near Guadalupe has been completed ahead of schedule, under budget and, most importantly, before the rainy season. On Tuesday, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution of commendation honoring R.W. Scott Construction Co. and Vince Lopez Jr. & Sons for their work to restore the river alignment while removing sediment and vegetation. The supervisors approved the $8 million for the project in September, agreeing to pony up funding for the project” after the state and federal government didn’t provide money for efforts to avoid a repeat of flooding in and near Guadalupe. The two firms, “both well respected family owned businesses based in the Santa Maria Valley, responded to the county’s emergency request for assistance when larger contractors did not, postponing previously scheduled work at great inconvenience,” according to the resolution. … ” Continue reading from Noozhawk.
Corporate growers’ carrots are soaking up water in this arid valley. Locals are fighting back.
“In the Cuyama Valley north of Santa Barbara, lush green fields stretch across the desert. Sprinklers spray thousands of acres to grow a single thirsty crop: carrots. Wells and pumps pull groundwater from as deep as 680 feet, and the aquifer’s levels are dropping. As the valley’s only water source shrinks, a bitter legal battle over water rights has arisen between carrot growers and the community. Residents are fighting back with a campaign urging everyone to stop buying carrots. Along the valley’s roads, in cattle pastures and outside homes and businesses, signs and banners have sprung up declaring “BOYCOTT CARROTS” and “STAND WITH CUYAMA AGAINST CORPORATE GREED.” The signs target two of the world’s largest carrot-growing companies, Grimmway Farms and Bolthouse Farms, which are the valley’s biggest water users. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
RELATED: ‘We’re not going to quit’: Voices from a California community boycotting carrots, from the LA Times
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
How Central Valley farmworker communities are tackling climate change
“A rural community on the banks of the San Joaquin River was spared from flooding during last winter’s powerful storms after hundreds of acres of former farmland were restored to their natural state as floodplains, giving the rising water a place to go. An immigrant family in the Central Valley city of Tulare got relief from 100-degree heat and sky-high energy bills with insulation and energy retrofits installed under a state program to weatherize the homes of low-income farmworkers. A small town mayor in a region with some of the most polluted air in the nation launched a free rideshare program with a fleet of electric vehicles — the first step in his goal of creating hundreds of green jobs. These are a few of the climate resilience strategies emerging in hard-hit agricultural communities in California’s Central Valley, supported by state and federal funds that could enable local initiatives to scale up. But the very places that need help the most may have the hardest time accessing the funding available, research shows. … ” Read more from KQED.
Despite cleanups, Bear Creek waste remains a concern
“There’s no doubt Merced has made significant strides in recent years to clean up blighted areas. Mayor Matthew Serratto, unlike any city leader before him, has led ongoing community cleanups throughout his first term in office, and during his initial years on the City Council. Other groups, such as Merced Walks and Friends of Merced, along with local students and everyday volunteers continue to play an important role in this widespread effort that targets every sector of town. The Bear Creek Yacht Club is another key player that gets attention. They are the ones who ride kayaks on the creek to pick up hard-to-reach trash that has been dumped, thrown, or fallen into the water. Since 2021, they have conducted clean-up expeditions every other month on the creek. However, one of Yacht Club leaders, Jeremiah Greggains, has reached out to the Times with some serious concerns that he says require immediate attention and support. … ” Read more from the Merced County Times.
MEETING NOTES: Public-private groundwater recharge program at North Kern Water Storage District gets underway
“Major topic: Agreement between North Kern and Premiere Agricultural Properties LLC for joint groundwater banking. So far: At its Sept. 14 meeting, the district approved environmental documents to expand its groundwater recharge capacity to begin its Landowner Groundwater Banking and Recharge program. Board action: Partnership agreement with Premiere Agricultural Properties was approved by the board Construction was expected to begin soon after the partnership was approved. Details: Per the board packet, the overall project will consist of 1,726 acres spreading grounds/recharge basins with a capacity to recharge up to 330,000 acre feet per year or 200 cubic feet per second (cfs). The agreement with Premiere will use 10 cfs of the project’s total recharge capacity. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
EASTERN SIERRA
Grant Lake Reservoir outlet update
“One of the few dams without an outlet in the state of California is soon to get one—modification of the Grant Lake Reservoir dam may begin as early as next spring. The Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (DWP) has not confirmed a construction start date but is working toward an April 2024 timeframe as project bidding, permits, and reservoir levels allow. The successful restoration of Rush Creek depends on the modification of Grant Dam. The dam was built without a direct way to pass water downstream into Rush Creek except for an emergency spillway. The aging 20th century structure was built on the premise of 19th century water rights values—that water flowing naturally in a stream was wasted water. DWP built the earthen dam and diversion infrastructure in the 1930s as part of the Mono Basin Extension of the Los Angeles Aqueduct. For decades the dam prevented lower Rush Creek from receiving any water. As litigation affirmed Fish & Game Codes and Public Trust values of both Mono Lake and fish in its tributary streams, small amounts of water were released into lower Rush Creek beginning in the 1980s. Subsequent California State Water Resource Control Board orders mandated increased restoration flows that the current system is unable to deliver in wet years. … ” Read more from the Mono Lake Committee.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Atmospheric river heading for Southern California: When will it start raining?
“Although SoCal is expected to see sunshine through the start of the week, an offshore Pacific storm will bring steady rain to the area for several days. There is a “100 percent chance” of rain beginning Wednesday morning and lasting through most of Saturday for all of Southern California, according to the National Weather Service. The Southland is forecast to receive anywhere from one to three inches of rain during this period, NWS said. Potential flooding may occur, and high surf is forecast due to strong southerly winds. “[It will be] much cooler mid to late week with increasing rain chances and possible heavy rain as a Pacific storm system affects the region,” weather officials said. … ” Read more from KTLA.
Update on SCV Safe, Clean Water Program
“In 2018, voters across Los Angeles County approved Measure W, which created the Safe, Clean Water Program to fund projects and programs dedicated to increasing local water supply and improving water quality through actions such as capturing and treating water runoff. When it rains, water flows off rooftops, streets and other hard, impermeable surfaces directly into storm drains. Additionally, excessive irrigation during dry weather can also contribute to runoff, since the water doesn’t have a chance to absorb properly. … ” Read more from SCV News.
New LA County plan aims to protect its beaches for future generations
“The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has unanimously voted to develop a coastal resiliency strategy as sea levels continue to rise worldwide. The initiative aims to preserve L.A.’s beaches in the decades to come, especially as they’re affected by adverse weather events like coastal storms and flooding. Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Lindsey Horvath authored the motion, which highlighted two ways of protecting local beaches: transporting sediment from the mountains to the beaches and reintroducing native plants to act as anchors to keep sand from being swept away. While the plan aims to protect L.A.’s beaches for future generations, some coastal areas are already seeing the effects of erosion. Zuma Beach and Redondo Beach are narrowing as their iconic white sand gets swept into the sea. In 2021, an access road near Point Dume collapsed into the ocean. … ” Read more from the LAist.
SAN DIEGO
Editorial: Millions share anger shown by Rainbow, Fallbrook water vote
The San Diego Union-Tribune editorial board writes, “In modern American politics, voters at the local and state level are asked to weigh in all the time on ballot measures involving public policy. What’s strikingly consistent across the nation is just how contrary voters are and how ready they are to object to anything. In San Diego, for a local example, an utterly mundane 2016 measure to change the City Charter’s language on municipal bonds so that it conformed with the state Constitution and changes in state law drew the objections of 21 percent of voters. Very lopsided results are extremely rare. But that wasn’t at all the case Tuesday in two special elections in North County. More than 94 percent of the voters in both the Rainbow Municipal Water District and the Fallbrook Public Utility District supported leaving the San Diego County Water Authority, reflecting intense displeasure with the authority’s indifference to the negative effects that its very costly rates have on farmers. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Column: Is ‘divorce’ election the tip of the iceberg for county water authority?
Columnist Michael Smolens writes, “Customers in two North County water districts overwhelmingly voted to leave a regionwide agency for a simple reason: They can get less-expensive water elsewhere. But the broader dynamics that led to this moment are complex — and are expected to increase costs for years to come for ratepayers remaining with the San Diego County Water Authority, an umbrella organization currently with 24 member agencies. For now, the future of regular and possibly large increases seems locked in, irrespective of Tuesday’s election in the Fallbrook Public Utilities District and Rainbow Municipal Water District, which still must resolve legal, financial and technical issues before finalizing their exits. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune.
Along the Colorado River …
The West is running out of water. A heavy snow could help, but will it come this winter?
“Snowfall forecasts for the West’s mountains are critically important this winter after last year’s unusually heavy snow helped improve the region’s long-simmering water crisis, including conditions at Lake Powell and downstream Lake Mead outside Las Vegas. Another heavy snow year could help reduce the need for water restrictions and help farmers continue producing irrigated crops such as melons, lettuce and almonds. The Rocky Mountains are already blanketed in snow, and climatologists are hopeful this year’s predicted El Niño conditions will power good runoff for the all-important Colorado River this summer. “I would use the term cautious optimism,” said Peter Bennett Goble, a climatologist and water availability specialist at the Colorado Climate Center. … ” Read more from USA Today.
Vying for water in the valleys
“When Ronnie Leimgruber’s grandfather came to America from Switzerland in 1910, he settled in the Imperial Valley of Southern California. He purchased land, claimed water rights, and started milking dairy cattle by hand. Hundreds of other small-scale dairymen in the Imperial Valley did the same until urbanization along the coast pulled cow herds and milk processing plants in the same direction. Then, the desert farmers started making hay. As land passed from one generation to the next, so did the water rights Leimgruber’s grandfather held. In fact, the entire valley is a grid of various shades of green despite being surrounded by a bone-dry desert because of irrigation water from the Colorado River. … ” Read more from Hay & Forage Grower.
Farming family uses more water than all of Las Vegas valley: report
“One family of farmers and their large collection of agriculture businesses – in the Imperial Valley, Calif., uses more water than the entire Las Vegas Valley, according to the Investigative Reporting nonprofit ProPublica. The report, entitled, “The 20 Farming Families Who Use More Water From the Colorado River Than Some Western States,” used satellite imagery to gather data revealing the staggering amount of water they use. The 8 News Now Investigators, in a special report that aired in February, reported on the massive use of Colorado River water in that region. Farmers and a spokesman for the Imperial Irrigation District argued that not only do water rights dating back to 1922 put them first in line to take as much water as they need. “We have that right,” IID spokesman Robert Schettler said. … ” Read more from KLAS.
New Tribal Water Institute will help Arizona tribes navigate water law and policies
“A new institute created by a national Native nonprofit law group and a foundation that works to protect rivers will support tribal water rights advocacy, recruit and train the next generation of tribal water attorneys and provide education on tribal water law and policies. The Tribal Water Institute will be housed at the Native American Rights Fund, known as NARF, a national nonprofit organization that provides legal assistance to tribal governments, organizations and individuals in need of legal help on Indigenous law cases. The Walton Family Foundation committed $1.4 million over the next three years to support the institute. The two groups are outlining their plans Monday for the project, which is intended to build on NARF’s expertise, networks and coalitions built over a 53-year history. … ” Read more from Arizona Central.
In national water news today …
EPA detected “forever chemicals” in water systems serving 46 million. Is yours on our map?
“Toxic “forever chemicals” have been found in more than one in four public drinking water systems this year in concentrations at or above the Environmental Protection Agency’s minimum reporting levels. That’s according to new EPA data released Thursday, showing hundreds of water systems have detected PFAS. Together, these systems provide drinking water to about 46 million people. Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, or PFAS, are a group of nearly indestructible chemicals that build up in the human body over time. They’ve been used widely for decades in nonstick and water-repellent household products, as well as industrial products. … ” Read more from USA Today.
Study finds contaminants are feminizing endangered green sea turtles
“A new study published on Monday revealed how pollutants are compounding the effects of rising temperatures on green sea turtles, causing the endangered reptile to only produce female offspring. The research — published in Frontiers of Marine Science and led by Arthur Barraza from the Australian Rivers Institute at Griffith University — explored how pollution effects the development of green sea turtles on Heron Island in the southern Great Barrier Reef. Scientifically known as Chelonia mydas, green sea turtles are an endangered species that received conservation protections from the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1977, and are currently recognized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
VIRTUAL PUBLIC WORKSHOP: Draft emergency flow regulation for Scott, Shasta Rivers
VIRTUAL WORKSHOP: Water Measurement and Reporting Regulation adopted pursuant to 2015 Senate Bill 88
DELTA BREEZE NEWSLETTER: Open science: what it is, the role it plays in accessible and equitable science, and how the Delta Science Program is pushing the movement forward for the Delta community
