DAILY DIGEST, weekend edition: PG&E formalizes plan to remove Potter Valley project; Sites Project Authority certifies final EIR; Republican lawmaker seeks to undo Central Valley Project environmental protections; CV-SALTS continue to benefit permittees and communities; and more …

In California water news this weekend …

PG&E formalizes plan to eliminate Lake Pillsbury in Mendocino National Forest in landmark move

“In a landmark moment, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. formalized its plans to tear down two more-than-century-old dams on the Eel River — removing the barrier that forms Lake Pillsbury, freeing the waters of the river and restoring the lake footprint to a more natural state.  The moves are part of a 94-page draft surrender application submitted to federal regulators and made public Friday as part of the utility’s plan to decommission its Potter Valley powerhouse and all the infrastructure that comes with it — including Scott and Cape Horn dams, sited slightly downstream.  PG&E has said work deconstructing the dams could begin as early 2028, depending on regulatory approval and environmental review of the plan.  Scott Dam, built in 1921, would come down first, either in phases or all in one season. … ”  Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

SEE ALSO:

• • PG&E Confirms Plan to Begin Full Removal of Eel River Dams, from Cal Trout
  • Draft surrender and decommissioning plan offers two paths to freeing the Eel, press release from Friends of the Eel River
  • Negotiating a new diversion: Huffman urges stakeholders to reach a two-basin solution, press release from Congressman Jared Huffman

Sites Project Authority certifies Sites Reservoir’s final environmental report

“An important milestone was reached Friday for the construction of another reservoir in California. The Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for Sites Reservoir was certified and the Sites Reservoir Project was approved by the Sites Project Authority, the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act.  Next up for the Sites Project Authority is to move the project through the final planning stages. After getting through the final stages, crews will begin building the reservoir.  “Over the last six years, we conducted one of the most comprehensive environmental analyses ever done for a water supply project to design a project that can meet the needs of California’s communities, farms, and environment,” said Fritz Durst, Chair of the Sites Project Authority Board of Directors, in a statement. … ”  Read more from CBS Sacramento.

SEE ALSO:

• • PRESS RELEASE: Sites Reservoir Reaches Milestone in Environmental Review Process, press release from the Sites Reservoir JPA
  • PRESS RELEASE: Friends of the River, Sierra Club, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance Condemn Today’s Hastened Approval of Sites Reservoir’s Environmental Impact Report, press release from aforementioned entities

Republican lawmaker seeks to undo Central Valley Project environmental protections

“More than 30 years ago, a piece of federal legislation dropped like a bomb on California’s Central Valley farmers.  Reverberations from that legislation continue through today. Just last month, a San Joaquin Valley congressman added language to an appropriations bill that would unwind a key portion of the 1992 Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA).  The CVPIA was the first legislative attempt to give the environment and others a seat at the state’s water table. It was a big bill with 10 areas of change to the federal Central Valley Project, a 400-mile system of dams and canals that spans California from Redding to Bakersfield.  One of its cornerstones was that 800,000 acre feet of water per year would be carved out of supplies that had been sent to towns and farms and redirect it to the environment instead. Specifically, the legislation hoped to save salmon populations, which had been crashing. … ”  Read more from SJV Water.

CV-SALTS: Salt and nitrate programs continue to benefit permittees and communities

“Thanks to the continued work of CV-SALTS stakeholders, 2023 has been another year of tremendous progress, with free well testing and safe drinking water being delivered to thousands of households across the Central Valley. Meanwhile, even more drinking water efforts are poised to launch and important progress is being made in developing a salt management blueprint for the Central Valley. … Regulators, permittees, and community members work together to develop and implement the Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long-Term Sustainability (CV-SALTS) through a unique process involving permittees, agency representatives, dedicated staff, and community members. This collaborative process ensures that all involved parties have not only had a role in building the program from the ground up but also work together to ensure that the program benefits everyone involved. … ”  Continue reading from CV-SALTS.

California’s giant sequoias are in big trouble

“In 2015 a lightning strike started what became known as the Rough Fire, which eventually burned more than 150,000 acres of forest east of Fresno and just west of Kings Canyon National Park.  The blaze burned into seven different sequoia groves in Sequoia National Forest, as well as a grove called the General Grant Complex in Kings Canyon National Park. As the flames died down and the smoke cleared, experts realized that an unusually large number of big sequoias had been killed by the blaze—27 on park land and 74 on national forest.  The deaths of so many sequoias in one year was unheard of, and it deeply alarmed people who research and care for redwoods, some of whom wept at the sight of dead giants that had stood for more than a thousand years. After the Rough Fire, said Ben Blom, director of stewardship and restoration for the Save the Redwoods League, the idea of immortal sequoias no longer seemed to be true. … ”  Read more from Wired.

California state scientists strike, demand equal pay

“Hundreds of scientists working for the state of California to protect water supplies, respond to oil spills, study wildlife and track foodborne outbreaks marched in Sacramento Nov. 15 in what’s being called the first-ever strike by state civil servants.  Today was the first day of a three-day “Defiance for Science” rolling strike by more than 4,000 rank-and-file state scientists, who are seeking to close pay gaps with their counterparts in local, federal and other parts of state government.  “This is something that needed to happen. And it’s unfortunate that the state put us in this position,” recently-elected union president Jacqueline Tcak, 29, a state scientist who works on water quality in the Central Coast, said over the din of chants and rattles. “We want equal pay for equal work.” … ”  Read more from Comstock’s.

SEE ALSO:

• DEFIANCE FOR SCIENCE: State-Employed Scientists Go on Strike Over Stalled Contract Negotiations, from the Lost Coast Outpost
• North Bay environmental scientists join California strike, demanding equitable pay, from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat
• State scientists bring strike to Monterey, from the Monterey Herald

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In regional water news this weekend …

MOUNTAIN COUNTIES

Salmon fall run in Mokelumne River sets 80-year record

“More fall-run Chinook salmon are returning to spawn in the Mokelumne River this year than in any year since 1940, when wildlife officials first began tracking the population, according to the East Bay Municipal Utility District.  EBMUD officials announced Thursday that more than 20,000 fish have so far returned to the river to complete their life cycle.  “This year’s historic return highlights EBMUD’s longstanding collaboration in the region and our deep commitment to sustaining this vital fish hatchery and protecting the river’s habitat,” said EBMUD board president Andy Katz.  The river is the primary drinking water source for 1.4 million customers served by EBMUD in Alameda and Contra Costa counties and the water agency is responsible for balancing the needs of the river’s human dependents with environmental and wildlife protections. … ”  Read more from CBS Sacramento.

BAY AREA

Despite current surplus, questions remain about the water year ahead for Marin County

“While the water year has had a slow start in Northern California — at least nothing like in some years past — there is still no talk of drought as last year bounty of rain keeps on giving.  However, that doesn’t mean the winter couldn’t get complicated.  “So a mountain biker and a farmer have a lot in common,” said Max Delaure. “They’re always looking at the soil, how much water there is. And we notice every change, when there’s a dry season and so forth.”  Delaure is always looking out for the perfect conditions around the Mount Tam watershed, while also keeping an eye on what it is collecting.  “I also monitor this level all of the time and now it’s at 85% I believe, and it’s wonderful,” he said of the lakes. “It’s higher than it should normally be just time of the year.” … ”  Read more from CBS Bay Area.

CENTRAL COAST

Biden’s climate and tribal goals conflict on California’s coast

“The Biden administration is racing against the electoral clock to get a first-of-its-kind marine sanctuary certified in case Donald Trump or another Republican takes the White House and ditches the conservation effort along California’s Central Coast.  But President Joe Biden and fellow top Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom face another obstacle of their own making — clashing commitments to both protect marine life and meet aggressive clean energy goals by installing floating wind turbines in federal waters.  The Biden administration has proposed a marine sanctuary, backed by local indigenous tribes, that would stretch along more than 100 miles of the California coastline north of Los Angeles. Near its northern boundary sits a 400-square-mile zone that the administration has leased to offshore wind developers. … ”  Read more from Politico.

Still recovering from last winter, the Central Coasts sees this season’s first major storm

“This winter’s first major rain is here — a slow-moving Pacific storm that is expected to linger over the Central Coast for the next four days, bringing more than an inch of rain in some places.  But unlike last winter’s relentless atmospheric rivers, this system is not expected to cause flooding in the region, and should taper off to warm and clear weather by Saturday afternoon.  Still, officials are already preparing for the wetter storms that may lie ahead. At the Carmel River Lagoon, Cal Fire workers are filling and stacking sandbags that would help protect nearby homes. The lagoon is little more than a pond most of the year, but during heavy winter rains, the river swells and floods the area. … ”  Read more from KAZU.

SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY

With rain on the way, residents call for repairs to Stockton levee

“With rain on the way this weekend, concern is growing for some people in Stockton’s Country Club neighborhood living along a levee still damaged in last winter’s storms.  The flowing water along the Calaveras River looks calm from the top of the River Drive levee, but erosion lurks just below. “With the floods back in January, there’s some definite erosion damage that has occurred,” said Patti Brennan, who has lived along the river for eight years. “Locals have taken photos of it.” … ”  Read more from Channel 10.

EASTERN SIERRA

Commentary: Mojave Pistachios shed light on ‘the rest of the story’

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Flood control improvements won’t start until 2025

“The Carbon Canyon Channel flood control improvement project in Chino Hills that was supposed to begin in 2022 has been pushed forward to 2025. The County of San Bernardino is proposing an $18 million project (in 2021 numbers) to replace the existing undersized earthen channel that runs from Pipeline Avenue to Peyton Drive to lessen the impacts of flooding on surrounding properties in the event of a major storm event (100-year storm.) The channel is bordered by Eucalyptus Avenue to the north and Chino Hills Parkway to the south. … ”  Read more from the Chino Champion.

SAN DIEGO

SDCWA drops suit challenging Fallbrook, Rainbow water split

“The regional body abandoned its legal strategy after decisive votes in special elections earlier this month. What began as a brash legal complaint that millions of ratepayers faced historic damage ended with a fizzle this week as the San Diego County Water Authority voted in closed session to settle a lawsuit filed earlier this year. The water authority board approved an agreement to end its litigation challenging the plan by the Fallbrook Public Utilities District and Rainbow Municipal Water District to leave the broader agency and join the Eastern Municipal Water District of Riverside County. … ”  Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Invasive seaweed found in San Diego Bay prompts warning from agencies

“The discovery of invasive seaweed in San Diego Bay has prompted authorities to issue a warning to the public to not drain saltwater aquariums into area waterways.  The Port of San Diego, the Southern California Caulerpa Action Team (SCCAT), the City of Coronado, and the Coronado Cays Homeowners Association (CCHOA) are responding after invasive seaweed — Caulerpa prolifera — was found in the Coronado Cays area of San Diego Bay in late September.  Divers found a patch of the invasive seaweed during an “in-water pre-construction eelgrass/Caulerpa dive survey as a permit condition for a dock replacement project,” The Port of San Diego reported. More invasive seaweed was found in follow-up surveys. … ”  Read more from Fox 5.

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Along the Colorado River …

Will another snowy winter boost the Colorado River? It hasn’t happened in this century

“Six months after three southwestern states struck a deal to keep more Colorado River water behind drought-shrunken Hoover Dam, those states face the first test of whether it’s enough to keep the region out of crisis.  The arrival of the winter snow season, which sustains the river and last year bailed out water users facing critically low reservoirs, brings new questions for water managers: Will El Niño conditions in the Pacific Ocean produce a wet winter in the Southwest and parts of the Rockies? And could a second straight wet winter wallop the region with above-average snowfall and again forestall more drastic conservation measures?  Jack Schmidt’s unofficial daily weather report during a visit to the ski town of Park City, Utah, on Wednesday morning revealed his skepticism. “It’s going to be 60,” the Center for Colorado River Studies program director and former head of the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center noted. … ”  Read more from the Arizona Republic.

An innovative flush: Phoenix turns to artificial intelligence for improved wastewater monitoring

“From self-driving cars to automated services, artificial intelligence has been influencing every aspect of day-to-day life – even in ways we can’t see. In Phoenix, artificial intelligence is helping the city from underground.  In October, the city’s Water Services Department launched a six-month wastewater treatment pilot program with AI company Kando, based in Israel.  Kando Pulse is a wastewater intelligence platform built to “improve people’s lives and the environment,” according to Guy Cohen, chief product officer at Kando. The system uses sensors to obtain data from wastewater and translate it into insights that detect any irregularities within sewage. … ”  Read more from the Arizona Capitol Times.

Arizona commentary: Groundwater management needs leadership from ground up

Stefanie Smallhouse, president of the Arizona Farm Bureau, writes, “For the past several years, nearly every iteration of legislation to create a management framework for groundwater in rural Arizona has failed. A successful model must incorporate a significant leadership role for agricultural landowners to take the lead in water management, and more importantly, conservation.  Locally led conservation is certainly not a new concept in Arizona and to diminish the impactful role of local landowners in basin-wide conservation planning is a mistake. The proposals have generally overlooked the value of voluntary public/private partnerships, local expertise, private investment and interest in achieving a sustainable future and creating an environment of trust between the state and those who have the most to lose in a challenging environment. … ”  Read more from the Arizona Capitol Times.

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Also on Maven’s Notebook this weekend …

NOTICE of Regulation Rulemaking on the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO)

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