A wrap-up of posts published on Maven’s Notebook this week …
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In California water news this week …
DWR releases final environmental impact report for Delta Conveyance Project
“The Department of Water Resources today released the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed Delta Conveyance Project, advancing an essential piece of the state’s strategy to protect water access for millions of Californians. It was redesigned following public input and Governor Newsom’s pledge of rightsizing the project to one tunnel to better support both environmental and water supply needs. By 2040, California is expected to lose 10% of its water supply due to hotter temperatures. During January’s atmospheric rivers, the Delta Conveyance Project could’ve captured enough water for 2.3 million peoples’ yearly usage. Until this year, the state faced its three driest years on record. Extreme weather whiplash will result in more intense swings between droughts and floods. California’s 60-year-old State Water Project infrastructure is not built for these climate effects. … ” Continue reading this press release from DWR.
Data shows State Water Project contractors’ contributions to reduced reliance on the Delta and improved regional self-reliance
“One of the many permitting hoops that the Delta Conveyance Project must jump through on the road to construction should it be approved is the determination of consistency with the applicable policies in the Delta Stewardship Council’s Delta Plan, most notably policy WRP 1, which requires demonstration of reduced reliance on the Delta. The controversial project is all but certain to be appealed, so with hundreds of water agencies poised to benefit from the project, just how can reduced reliance be demonstrated? At the November meeting of the Delta Stewardship Council, Katherine Marquez from DWR and Jennifer Nevills from Metropolitan Water District summarized recent work completed to assemble the data that was included 2020 urban and agricultural water management plans prepared by numerous water suppliers who would receive water from the Delta Conveyance Project. … ” Read more from Maven’s Notebook.
As public hearings draw to a close, agencies discuss voluntary agreements
“On Monday, the State Water Resources Control Board will hold the final day of a three-day public hearing on the Sacramento/Delta update to the Bay Delta Water Quality Control Plan. The focus of the hearing is the draft staff report, which analyzes the options for updating the plan, including the Board’s proposal and the highly touted and controversial voluntary agreements. As the state contemplates a new approach to managing the Delta, the voluntary agreements were on the agendas of the California Water Commission and Metropolitan’s One Water and Stewardship Committee. … ” Continue reading from Maven’s Notebook.
California sets initial water allocation forecast at 10%
“The California Department of Water Resources on Friday said its initial State Water Project allocation forecast is 10% of requested supplies for next year — a 5% increase from its December 2022 initial forecast. The department, which issues its initial forecast by Dec. 1 each year, pointed to current levels of reservoir storage, as well as the expectation of extremely dry conditions, as the reason for its forecast level. Dry soil, runoff and storage in Lake Oroville also play a role. So far, the water year — which starts Oct. 1 — has yielded little rain. The few storms that have swept into the state did not significant rain or snow. The allocation forecast could change, depending on if the state receives more rain and snow. Allocations get updated each month after snowpack, rainfall and runoff are examined. A final allocation occurs in May or June. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
SEE ALSO:
- Initial water allocation from state a bit tight but water users hoping for more, from SJV Water
- DWR announces initial State Water Project allocation of 10% for 2024, press release from DWR
Water Board criticized for recent decisions
“A former state water official cast doubt last week on the State Water Resources Control Board’s independence and autonomy, as the board considers water-quality control options for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The Tri-Valley relies on Delta water via the State Water Project. Max Gomberg, who served on the Water Board for 10 years as both climate and drought advisor, discussed with the Tuolumne River Trust (TRT), which seeks to protect and restore the Tuolumne River, how Delta and river health require the Board to restore river flows in the Sacramento and San Joaquin River watersheds. … ” Read more from the Livermore Independent.
Warmer winter temperatures in California could make ‘storms more hazardous,’ report says
“Winters in California aren’t as cold as they used to be — and that’s not a good thing. Temperatures across the Central Valley, Central Coast and parts of Southern California have increased at least 2 degrees over the past several decades, according to Climate Central’s “2023 Winter Package.” Other parts of the state have warmed at least 1 degree, and the majority of the U.S. has risen an average of 3.8 degrees, posing a long-term threat to water supplies, energy use, public health and agriculture. In California, warm and short-lived winters could disturb fruit and nut crops. Climate Central analyzed temperatures and days recorded above normal between December and February — from 1969-70 to 2022-23 — with data from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s Regional Climate Centers. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee. | Read via Yahoo News.
How mountains affect El Niño-induced winter precipitation
“A consideration of how mountains influence El Niño and La Niña-induced precipitation change in western North America may be the ticket to more informed water conservation planning along the Colorado River, new research suggests. The study, coinciding with a recent shift from a strong La Niña to a strong El Niño, brings a degree of precision to efforts to make more accurate winter precipitation predictions in the intermountain West by comparing 150 years of rain and snow data with historic El Niño-Southern Oscillation patterns. Overall, the analysis shows increasing winter precipitation trends in the north and decreasing trends in the south, particularly during the latter part of the 20th century. It also sheds light on how mountains both amplify and obstruct precipitation, leading to heavier rainfall to their west and lower levels of precipitation to their east. The more accurate estimate of where and how much winter precipitation has been driven by El Niños of the past may help guide future management of resources in western North America, one of the most water-stressed parts of the world, researchers say. … ” Read more from Ohio State University.
New progress in California water rights reform
“Many have argued that California’s water rights laws are sorely in need of modernization. Some feel that the recently passed bill, SB 389, is taking a step in that direction. Two legal experts and PPIC Water Policy Center research network members, Jennifer Harder and Rick Frank, were part of a group convened by the Planning and Conservation League Foundation (PCLF) to make recommendations for improving the water rights system. We asked them to explain the bill’s implications. Could you explain what SB 389 does? Jennifer Harder: SB 389 specifies that the State Water Resources Control Board (board, SWB) has express authority to investigate whether a water user has valid water rights and whether they’re using that water in a way that’s consistent with the law. If the board finds that they aren’t, it can take enforcement action. … ” Read more from the PPIC.
Proposal for new water district sparks fear of Northern California ‘water grab’
“As California grapples with worsening cycles of drought, a proposal to create a new water district in Butte County has sparked fears of a profit-driven water grab by large-scale farmers and outside interests. In the walnut and almond orchards along State Route 99 near Chico, agricultural landowners have led a years-long campaign to form the Tuscan Water District — an entity they say is vital for the future of farming in this part of Northern California. They say having the district will enable them to bring in water and build infrastructure to recharge the groundwater aquifer. Yet some residents argue the district would open the door to water profiteering, claiming the plan would connect local supplies to California water markets, and allow the state to demand transfers during drought emergencies. … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via the Lawton Constitution.
New report confirms benefits of FIRO strategy in enhancing water management at Prado Dam
“A new report illustrates the benefits of the Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) at Prado Dam. This innovative strategy, developed collaboratively by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Orange County Water District (OCWD), and the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, is poised to revolutionize water resource management. The report, titled the Prado Dam FIRO Final Viability Assessment, describes how forecasting tools can allow operators to increase the volume of storm water that is temporarily retained behind the dam and released later at a rate that allows recharge into the Orange County groundwater basin to enhance water supply. FIRO enables the optimization of stormwater capture at Prado Dam through advanced forecasting of atmospheric rivers (ARs). These forecasts are crucial in managing both beneficial precipitation and flood risks in California. … ” Continue reading this press release.
State Water Board celebrates over 100 water system consolidations since 2019
“Marking the completion of over 100 consolidations that have given 90,000 Californians reliable access to safe drinking water, the State Water Resources Control Board is leading a celebration today at Riverside County’s Westside Elementary, one of many places across the state that have benefited from consolidation. The State Water Board is joined by U.S. EPA Region 9, the Coachella Valley Water District, the Coachella Valley Unified School District, the SAFER Advisory Group and elected officials. Before its consolidation into the Coachella Valley Water District, Westside Elementary relied on contaminated well water. This consolidation, and many others throughout the state, are made possible by the State Water Board’s Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience (SAFER) drinking water program, established after Governor
Newsom signed SB 200 in 2019. … ” Continue reading this press release from the State Water Board.
Westlands loses appeal to state Supreme Court
“The California Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the nation’s largest agricultural district in its bid for a permanent water contract with the Bureau of Reclamation. The state’s highest court on Wednesday denied a request from the Westlands Water District to reverse a series of lower court rulings refusing to validate the contract, a decision that opponents of the deal said will leave the Rhode Island-sized agricultural district with little choice but to rely on temporary agreements. A coalition of Native Americans, commercial and recreational fishermen, scientists, and conservation groups had opposed the contract, saying there needs to be more scrutiny about use of water in drought-plagued California, as well as attention to impacts on fisheries. … ” Read more from E&E News.
SEE ALSO: California Supreme Court denies Westlands’ appeal, press release from the Hoopa Valley Tribe
Q&A with Amanda Frye: She took on California’s famous Arrowhead bottled water brand — and won
“Amanda Frye of Redlands took on the company that owns California’s famous Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water over water rights to Strawberry Creek in the San Bernardino National Forest. She was among a number of local residents, community groups and non-profits, and everyone took actions like boycotting the company, signing petitions and donating money to organizations fighting Arrowhead’s water take in the San Bernardino National Forest. Last month, the State Water Resources Control Board agreed that BlueTriton — the company that owns Arrowhead — doesn’t have rights to the water in the national forest and issued a Cease and Desist order for the headwater springs, significantly reducing water withdrawals and leaving the door open for further action. Arrowhead bottled water dates back to 1909, when the historic Arrowhead Hot Springs hotel bordering the national forest land at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains began selling spring water from its private property. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News (gift article).
The race to save ketchup: Building a tomato for a hotter world
“In the heart of one of the world’s top vegetable-growing regions in California, scientists are on a mission to save ketchup. Plant breeders at the Woodland, Calif., facility of German pharmaceutical and agriculture giant are testing whether tomatoes meant for processing into pizza sauces and ketchup can survive on a fraction of their traditional water needs, without sacrificing taste or juiciness. Using a small set of tweezers, Taylor Anderson carefully removes the part of a tomato plant that allows it to self-pollinate. He extracts pollen from the flower of a second plant and places it on the first, creating a new hybrid. Anderson, a vegetable breeder at Bayer, leads a team that is mixing and matching tomato varieties that have historically done well under drought conditions or have a stronger root system, aiming to produce varieties capable of growing with 20% or 50% less water. … ” Read more from the Wall Street Journal.
Billionaires’ utopia CEO defiant in face of loud calls to drop lawsuit against Solano County property owners
“The CEO of a contentious plan backed by Silicon Valley billionaires for a utopia in Solano County refused to back down from a $510 million lawsuit against property owners, as he faced a mistrustful crowd of local residents. Former Wall Street investor Jan Sramek on Tuesday addressed about 150 ranchers and other locals at the American Legion hall in Rio Vista, a hamlet of 10,000 people on the Sacramento River near Antioch. His company, California Forever, billed the gathering as a town hall to inform the public and gather feedback about the plan to build a new city with tens of thousands of homes in the next 35 to 40 years. … California Forever, founded in 2017 and funded by billionaire venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Michael Moritz and fellow billionaires LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and businesswoman Laurene Powell Jobs, raised hackles in rural Solano County by keeping their plan secret while buying up tens of thousands of acres, much of the land agricultural, then suing dozens of landowners in May for $510 million in damages over claims that through “endless greed” they conspired to jack up the sale prices of their properties. … ” Continue reading at the San Jose Mercury News (gift article).
In commentary this week …
The right water project for a changing California just got put on the fast track
Mike Wade, Executive Director of the California Farm Water Coalition, writes, “Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom utilized the state’s new infrastructure streamlining bill to accelerate the building of Sites Reservoir. This is great news for all Californians, particularly farmers who provide a safe, healthy, reliable food supply. Sites Reservoir is a critical element in California’s struggle to maintain a reliable water supply in the face of climate change. Current media reports have been telling us to expect a wet El Niño weather pattern this winter, but whether or not that occurs, everyone who lives in the state knows that dry years will return. No matter the forecast, we must prepare for future droughts by capturing water during wet years, like 2023, and saving it for inevitable dry ones on the horizon. We need facilities to store water, especially in wet years, and we must do so in ways that deliver water to people in cities and towns, farmers who grow our food and the environment. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
Sites Reservoir: Fast-tracking and greenwashing a huge water development
Sarah Vardaro writes, “In the summer of 2023, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 149 into law. This bill gave the Governor the power to fast-track infrastructure projects deemed beneficial to the state of California’s bid to create a climate-resilient future. On November 6th, 2023 the Governor used this law to fast-track approval for the highly controversial Sites Reservoir Project. In a statement, the Governor characterized this move as “cutting red tape.” The red tape in question is the normal scrutiny the Sites Project would be subject to under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Governor Newsom’s decision to fast-track the Sites Project is based on his assertion that it is beneficial to the environment. The Governor’s rhetoric is in line with the Sites Project’s public relations campaign. When the drought hits, they argue, the Reservoir will release water, in part, to ensure the survival of downstream habitat and species. This is a deceptive narrative. … ” Read more from the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance.
Protect Californians, wildlife from groundwater contamination
Sean Bothwell, executive director of California Coastkeeper Alliance, and Ileana Miranda, general manager of the San Jerardo housing cooperative, write, “More than a decade ago, UC Davis released a groundbreaking report about the growing human health threat from groundwater contamination. It revealed that hundreds of thousands of Californians rely on polluted groundwater to meet their household needs. More than a million are at risk. The problem is now well understood. Yet for over a decade, the California Water Resources Control Board has failed to take meaningful action. That’s why a coalition of Latino, farmworker, environmental and fishing organizations filed suit in October challenging the water resources board and Central Coast Regional Water Board for continuing to allow agricultural pollution to contaminate drinking water supplies and ecosystems. The case is focused on the Central Coast, but a successful outcome may help force action by regional water boards statewide. … ” Continue reading at the San Jose Mercury News (gift article).
Nitrate pollution: One place environmental justice and environmental advocacy meet
Sarah Vardaro writes, “In 2021, the Central Coast Regional Water Board (Regional Board) adopted Agricultural Order 4.0. This order contained measures to reduce nitrate pollution in groundwater caused by the agricultural sector. Specifically, Order 4.0 set numeric limits to regulate the amount of chemical nitrate fertilizers growers could use in their fields. In September 2023, the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) issued Order WQ 2023-0081, which repealed Order 4.0’s numeric limits. At the same time, the State Board upheld Order 4.0’s omission of protections for rivers, streams, and riparian habitats. This decision will have statewide impacts because the State Board asserted that all its decisions on groundwater pollution are “precedential.” … ” Read more from the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance.
IID president and director on water use: ‘The ’20 families’ boogie-man implies control and influence over Colorado River water supply’
“We read the Nov. 9 articles published by the Desert Sun (“The 20 farming families who use more water from the Colorado River than some states” and “The historic claims that put a few California farming families first in line for Colorado River water”), with interest, but found each long on blame and short on solutions and key facts. First, the reporting seemed to go after Imperial Valley growers with gusto, providing a false impression that the listed families, many generations deep, act monolithically as economic units, as if normal family dynamics and independence attitudes are somehow not at play when it comes to farming. Bunching together many independent farming operations into “farming families” and then simply attributing to them a combined volume of Colorado River water use is not reflective of their operational reality. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun.
Farmers and ranchers are essential when it comes wildfire resilience. Unfortunately, California doesn’t think so
Katie Brimm, co-founder of Farmer Campus and a Public Voices Fellow on the Climate Crisis, writes, “On what should have been a clear, sunny day in Northern California, I squinted with my headlamp into the dark fields of our farm. Each crop shone a dull uniform orange beneath a sky blackened by wildfire smoke. Our masked farm crew moved through the eerie fields, brushing ash from cabbages and cauliflower. Still-legible pages of books fluttered from the sky like snow, and with so little sunlight filtering through, the crops stayed frozen late into the day from the previous night’s freeze. This was just another day in the life of California farmers. Climate change and years of misguided fire suppression policies are rapidly increasing the size, longevity and intensity of wildfires, with a record-breaking fire season nearly every year. … You’d think California would be using every tool in its toolbox to build resilience to wildfire. While progress has been made, we’ve been overlooking key wildfire allies: farmers and ranchers. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
In regional water news this week …
New regional body formed to transform Potter Valley Project
“This week saw another milestone in the transformation of the Potter Valley Project in Lake County, as a new regional entity to take over the project was formed. You’d think decisions about water flowing through Lake County would be made there. But the supervisors who voted on the Potter Valley Project’s future weren’t the ones in Lakeport. On Tuesday, it was Sonoma County supervisors who unanimously approved a new joint powers agreement between the county, its water agency Sonoma Water, and the Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission, creating the Eel-Russian Project Authority. … ” Read more from Northern California Public Media.
DA Thien Ho accuses Sacramento of allowing homeless to pollute waterways, endangering health
“Three months after suing the city of Sacramento over its response to the homeless crisis, Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho is accusing city officials of allowing homeless camps to pollute area waterways and endanger public health. In a 48-page amended lawsuit filed Tuesday in Sacramento Superior Court, the D.A. says the city has allowed homeless residents to pollute the American and Sacramento rivers by dumping human waste and trash into waterways near their camps. “The occupants of the camps utilize the waterways to wash clothing, cooking utensils, dishes and other personal items,” the complaint says. “The food waste and soaps and detergents used are deleterious to aquatics life. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
New analyses show significantly more water available in Indian Wells Valley
“Newly released analysis related to the Indian Wells Valley groundwater safe yield and storage were released Friday by a Technical Working Group put together to ensure that the best available science is used to develop the most accurate estimates of the IWV groundwater basin and local groundwater supplies, and thus ensure that potentially costly groundwater management efforts (such as a proposed $200 million+ imported water pipeline project) are implemented prudently. The results are significantly different than the current values used by the Groundwater Authority. … ” Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent.
Commentary: New analyses suggest the Indian Wells Valley has more groundwater than previously estimated
Mallory J. Boyd, President of the Board, IWV Water District, writes, “In an effort to ensure the best available science is used to determine the most accurate estimate of Indian Wells Valley groundwater basin supplies, the Indian Wells Valley Water District and other entities representing 80% of the valley’s total groundwater production organized a Technical Working Group. The Group consists of experts from six professional hydrogeological science and engineering consulting firms. Their goal was to determine both a basin safe yield and the total water in storage within the valley. To achieve these goals, the Technical Working Group analyzed the most complete, comprehensive, and up-to-date data sets available using state-of-the art analytical methodology. The results are significantly different than the current values used by the Groundwater Authority. … ” Continue reading at the Ridgecrest Independent.
Commentary: What’s so unique about the Indian Wells Valley GSA?
writes, “The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act requires groundwater sustainability agencies to develop and implement groundwater sustainability plans to avoid undesirable results and mitigate overdraft within groundwater basins. Throughout California over 260 such agencies have developed plans to responsibly manage local basins. But the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority, which governs our massive groundwater basin resource, has diverged from accepted management practices adopted by other regions of the state by approving its plan without input from local water users and playing favorites by allocating water to IVWGA board members; pre-determining industrial and agricultural users were inferior and would be excluded from any entitlement to the basin’s sustainable yield … ” Continue reading at the Ridgecrest Independent.
L.A. County aims to collect billions more gallons of local water by 2045
“Over the next two decades, Los Angeles County will collect billions more gallons in water from local sources, especially storm and reclaimed water, shifting from its reliance on other region’s water supplies as the effects of climate change make such efforts less reliable and more expensive. The L.A. County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday adopted the county’s first water plan, which outlines how America’s largest county must stop importing 60% of its water and pivot over the next two decades to sourcing 80% of its water locally by 2045. The plan calls for increasing local water supply by 580,000 acre-feet per year by 2045 through more effective stormwater capture, water recycling and conservation. The increase would be roughly equivalent to 162 billion gallons, or enough water for 5 million additional county residents, county leaders said. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Advocacy groups recommend targets for LA County clean water program
“Three water advocacy organizations in the Los Angeles region have shared a new report with L.A. County decision makers overseeing the Safe, Clean Water Program, detailing proposed goals for the program. The report, Vision 2045: Thriving in a Hotter and Drier LA County through Local Stormwater Capture and Pollutant Reduction, was developed by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Heal the Bay, and Los Angeles Waterkeeper. The organizations say that the report is intended to catalyze county efforts to ensure the Safe, Clean Water Program reaches its goals more quickly and definitively. … ” Read more from Stormwater Solutions.
Biden-Harris Administration announces new agreement with Imperial Irrigation District to save 100,000 acre-feet of water in Colorado River system
“The Biden-Harris administration today announced an agreement with the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) that will conserve approximately 100,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Mead in 2023. The agreement includes approximately $77.6 million in new investments from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, which will fund projects for water conservation, water efficiency, and protection of critical environmental resources in the Colorado River System this year. The investments, which are part of the Biden-Harris administration’s whole-of-government approach to improve and protect the stability and sustainability of the Colorado River System now and into the future, are administered through the Lower Colorado River Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program and funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate investment in history. … ” Read more from the Department of the Interior.
USBR announces a total of 18 Colorado River conservation agreements with Arizona entities
“Representatives of major Arizona water users, including cities and tribes, gathered with the Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation and Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs at Phoenix City Hall on Nov. 3 to celebrate the execution of new Colorado River system conservation agreements in Arizona. At the Phoenix event, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton announced the execution of seven new system conservation agreements in Arizona, which will conserve up to 162,710-acre feet of water in Lake Mead through 2026. “The voluntary system conservation implementation agreements will help increase water conservation, improve water efficiency and help prevent Lake and Powell from falling to critically low elevations,” said Commissioner Touton. In total, the Bureau now has inked 18 agreements with Arizona water users, including tribes, cities, agricultural users and irrigation districts. … ” Read more from the Arizona Department of Water Resources.
Announcements, notices, and funding opportunities …
SITES RESERVOIR: Notice of assignment to the Administrative Hearings Office
