In California water news this weekend …
Atmospheric river poised to bring more rain to California
“Meteorologists are closely watching weather models to nail down the details on the forecast for a storm expected to impact California this weekend.Earlier in the week, the models disagreed on the storm’s path and timing. By Thursday, they showed increased confidence that the system will arrive Friday and continue into Saturday, mainly impacting southern Oregon and Northern and Central California, according to the national Weather Prediction Center. The heaviest precipitation is expected in the northern half of California, and Los Angeles could see little or no rain, according to Brian Hurley, a forecaster with the Weather Prediction Center. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
Winter storm to bring more snow to California mountains. Here’s what to expect
“A strong storm is forecast to impact Northern California on Saturday. Parts of Mendocino and Humboldt counties could experience their wettest day in more than a year, with 3 to 5 inches of rain. The North Bay is expected to get hit hard, too, with localized flooding possible. Mount Tamalpais and the Sonoma County mountains could record up to 3 inches of rain. San Francisco and Oakland are in line for about an inch of rain. … ” Read more from the SF Chronicle.
Sierra snow outlook improves, but still short
“The Central Sierra Snow Lab, sitting near Donner Pass at over 7,000 feet in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, started 2024 with 32 inches of snow on the ground. Since Jan. 1, 39 inches have fallen — 13 of them in a Wednesday storm. “It actually underperformed,” said Andrew Schwartz, lead scientist and manager with the snow lab, saying about 2 feet was expected. “But we got a lot less.” Wednesday’s snow was expected to start earlier in the day, and the late start affected the totals. Also, the structure of the snow crystals was different from what he expected, leading to less accumulation. The snowfall is welcome, but it’s much less than what Schwartz, who held a Thursday press conference, would like to see by this time of year. His lab saw snow in early December, though it flattened. The three storms he’s seen this month have been more consistent. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
Harder leads Delta region colleagues in effort to block federal resources for Delta tunnel
“Today, Rep. Josh Harder (CA-9) led his Delta region colleagues in urging the US Bureau of Reclamation to deny Sacramento’s request for federal funding for the Delta Tunnel project. This is the first time the US Bureau of Reclamation has been asked to get involved in the Delta Tunnel project, which would open it up for federal support and funding. Harder was joined by four other Delta region Representatives: Reps. John Garamendi (CA-8), Mike Thompson (CA-4), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), and Doris Matsui (CA-7). Last month, Harder led his colleagues in demanding the California Natural Resources Agency halt all Delta Tunnel activity following the release of its own troubling Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The report acknowledges what Harder and other Delta Tunnel opponents have known for years: the project threatens endangered fish populations, will destroy farmland, and harm water quality. Harder hosted multiple town halls after the Army Corps of Engineers refused to host their own in-person town hall to discuss the Delta Tunnel project. “Read my lips: zero federal dollars should go to this terrible project. I will fight tooth and nail to stop this disaster from moving forward,” said Rep. Harder. “Delta communities are united in opposition to this water grab and we’ll keep using every avenue possible to stop Sacramento from stealing our water and shipping it down to Beverly Hills.” Read the letter at Congressman Harder’s website.
SEE ALSO: Villapudua knocks Newsom for pressing forward on Delta tunnel amid deficit, from the San Joaquin Valley Sun (Note: There is no funding for the Delta Conveyance Project in the Governor’s budget proposal.)
Coast Guard to begin removal of sunken tug boat in the Delta
“Contractors under the direction of a unified command will begin petroleum removal efforts on the Tug Mazapeta, January 12. The Mazapeta, a 1940s era military tugboat, sunk Sept. 4, 2023, in Little Potato Slough within the San Joaquin Delta, northwest of Stockton with approximately 1,600 gallons of diesel and engine oil were reported onboard at the time of the incident. To date approximately 593 gallons of petroleum product have been recovered from inside the containment boom area, which surrounds the sunken tug. Rubberizer boom was also deployed to improve containment and recovery efforts. The unified command consists of representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, and San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office. … ” Read more from the Coast Guard.
Network celebrates five years of advancing Flood-MAR
“The Flood-Managed Aquifer Recharge (Flood-MAR) Network is celebrating five years of advancing Flood-MAR efforts. The history is detailed in a new report posted on the network’s website. Flood-MAR is a management strategy that spreads flood flows onto available land to recharge aquifers. The report recounts some of the early efforts to promote Flood-MAR as a way to deal with groundwater overdraft in California and climate change impacts on water resources.” Click here for the report.
Unsettled Pacific Ocean offers few clear indicators for salmon success in 2024
“Want to learn how the Pacific Ocean is likely to change and affect salmon survival in the coming year? Stay tuned, scientists say. The ocean indicators that NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center researchers track off Newport, on the Central Oregon Coast, are decidedly mixed for the coming year. El Niño is still developing at the equator and there are both positive and negative indicators in local waters for emerging salmon. The ocean indicators of juvenile salmon survival—now online—reflect a rapidly changing ocean that is tough to predict. “We’re not seeing any clear direction as we sometimes have before,” said Jennifer Fisher, a research fisheries biologist at the Science Center’s Newport Research Station. “The overall message is that the system is unsettled. We’d like to be able to tease something out of that, but right now, we have to watch and wait.” … ” Read more from NOAA Fisheries.
Symposium highlights latest floodplain science and collaboration
“In December, the Northern California Water Association (NCWA) and the State Water Contractors co-hosted a Floodplain Symposium in Sacramento. The symposium included speakers who described the latest science being developed on the habitat benefits floodplains provide for fish, birds and other species and the collaborative efforts to promote floodplain reactivation in the Sacramento Valley and solicit landowner and other impacted party input as floodplain projects are being developed. Historically, during high flow events in the winter months, the rivers in the Central Valley would rise up over their banks and create a vast floodplain, which provided ideal habitat for fish, migratory birds, and other species. But, in the early 1900s, levees and bypasses were constructed to corral mighty rivers and push water quickly through the system to combat devastating floods. With the construction of these levees, 95% of the Central Valley’s historical floodplains are cut off from the river. … ” Read more from the Northern California Water Association.
Mapping Priority Bird Conservation Areas in the Delta
“The December meeting of the Delta Stewardship Council included the first Delta Lead Scientist report given by Dr. Lisamarie Windham-Myers, who assumed the position of interim Delta Lead Scientist at the beginning of December. The spotlighted article was published last summer in the San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science Journal and was one of the most downloaded papers in 2023. The work by Kristen Dybala and co-authors synthesized data and provided a gap analysis of the spatial alignment of land birds and waterbirds with recommended protected areas in the Delta Plan’s ecosystem amendment where they align. Dr. Windham-Myers noted that there have been very few landscape-scale studies about birds in the Delta, despite their crucial overall role in ecosystems, biodiversity, and human connections to the Delta. People appreciate birds through hunting, wildlife viewing, cultural heritage, and other activities. … ” Read more from Maven’s Notebook.
Notice of Funding Opportunity for Central Valley Project Improvement Act fisheries habitat and facilities improvement now available
“The Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced the Notice of Funding Opportunity for projects that enhance Chinook salmon and steelhead trout production and associated habitats in the Central Valley, consistent with the Central Valley Project Improvement Act. Reclamation and the Service are awarding up to $40 million (subject to appropriations) in fiscal year 2024 through multiple grants or cooperative agreements to projects prioritized by the CVPIA Near-Term Restoration Strategy. This funding opportunity implements the spawning and rearing habitat restoration activities outlined in the 2020 Record of Decision implementing the 2019 Proposed Action for the Coordinated Long-Term Operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project. Eligible projects include creation/modification of side channels; placement of woody material, boulders, and other structures to provide habitat for salmon; creation and enhancement of floodplain habitat; and improving facilities by adding fish screens on diversions. … ” Read more from the Bureau of Reclamation.
Steelhead numbers soar at Mokelumne River fish hatchery
“A robust steelhead run has followed a record fall-run Chinook run on the San Joaquin River. The hatchery staff has counted 1,430 steelhead to date, including 769 adults and 661 fish under the hatchery’s adult size of 18 inches. “The steelhead run is a good, healthy run, with a lot of fish compared to other years,” said Michelle Workman, Supervising Biologist for EBMUD Fisheries and Wildlife. “The size of the fish is similar to previous years. “The hatchery is now spawning steelhead and they have about 250,000 eggs so far, probably from about 125 females if you assume that there are about 2000 eggs per female.” … ” Read more from the Stockton Record.
Senators Alex Padilla, Laphonza Butler and bipartisan colleagues call on ag committee leadership to address long-term drought in Farm Bill
“On Thursday, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler (both D-Calif.), along with Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), and a bipartisan group of 13 other Senate colleagues, called on U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry leaders to address long-term drought in the upcoming Farm Bill. As the American West continues to recover from a historic megadrought, it is critical that the Farm Bill prioritizes addressing long-term drought, including through tools to conserve water, improve watershed scale planning, upgrade water infrastructure, protect land from erosion, and create long-term resiliency on changing landscapes for growers in drought-affected regions. According to the first snow survey of the year, California remains in a historic snow drought — state officials found just 7.5 inches of snowpack where they measured five feet of snow just last year. … ” Read more from the Sierra Sun.
Cultivating climate resilience: Agriculture could hold the key to California’s climate goals
“Climate change is creating widespread disruptions in our food and farming systems. In the last decade alone, farmers and ranchers have faced unprecedented challenges, including increasing water scarcity, extreme heat, more frequent and intense flooding and wildfire events, and unpredictable weather and pest infestations. Experienced and new farmers alike are struggling to stay in business, and farmworkers are facing growing risks to their health and safety, including the reality of working on more dangerously hot days. The stakes are high when it comes to addressing these challenges, especially in California, which is the fifth-largest supplier of food and other agricultural products in the world. In fact, almost three-quarters of fruits and nuts in the United States and more than a third of the country’s vegetables are grown in the Golden State. On top of that, agriculture is also a significant economic driver and employer in the state. Re-envisioning how California’s farmers and ranchers grow food should be an urgent priority. … ” Read more from Earth Island Journal.
In commentary this weekend …
3 winter storms in the U.S. in a week? They all have a single cause
Ned Kleiner, a scientist and catastrophe modeler at Verisk with a doctorate in atmospheric science from Harvard, writes, “For Americans who believe in the old proverb that bad news comes in threes, this month’s weather should be no surprise: After two winter storms raked across much of the U.S. in recent days, a third has already started its march as well. These weather systems in rapid succession are unusual but predictable — even without superstition. The first chapter began on Jan. 4, when a low-pressure system developed over the Sierra, delivering more than a foot of snow at higher elevations. From there, the storm made its way across the country over the next few days, snarling traffic in several Midwestern states and finally hitting the East Coast late on Jan. 6. Moisture pulled in off the Atlantic became almost a foot and a half of snow in upstate New York and interior New England. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
In people news this weekend …
Promotions, passings, profiles – submit people news items to maven@mavensnotebook.com.
An Interview with California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot
“Wade Crowfoot came west after college for what he describes as his “big, bright California adventure.” Like many others, the native of Michigan fell hard for the beauty of the Golden State and never looked back. He’s been here ever since and now serves as secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency. Crowfoot oversees an agency that protects the health and biodiversity of those California landscapes that inspired him to move here—from more than 1,000 miles of coastline to high mountains and vast deserts—and manages the largest state parks system in the United States. Beyond its environmental role, the agency is also charged with preserving California’s historical and cultural resources. In carrying out its mission, the natural resources agency works with the state’s Native American tribes in what Crowfoot characterizes as an increasingly collaborative relationship. “Working in natural resources has been a journey for me and one of the key points of learning has been the breadth, the diversity of California tribes,” he says. … ” Read more from Visit California.
Coastal Commission chair talks goals, concerns for CA Coast
“Caryl Hart is the former director of Sonoma County Regional Parks, and a longtime member of the California Coastal Commission. Now she’s the new chair of the powerful regulatory agency. Hart spoke with KRCB’s Noah Abrams about her hopes for California’s coast and why she thinks the Coastal Commission is as important as ever.” Listen at Northern California Public Media.
Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox to step down at EPA
“After serving three years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, today Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water Radhika Fox announced that she will depart the agency at the end of February 2024. Appointed by President Biden and confirmed with robust bipartisan support by the U.S. Senate, Assistant Administrator Fox spearheaded EPA’s successful agenda to protect American communities from water pollution while embedding equity and environmental justice across its Office of Water programs. Fox has led EPA’s effort to implement billions of dollars of funding secured by President Biden under his Investing in America agenda to tackle water pollution from lead and PFAS, while advancing regulations to ensure every American has access to clean and safe water and can enjoy America’s natural resources. Assistant Administrator Fox is the first woman of color and the first person of Asian American descent to lead EPA’s Office of Water. … ” Read more from the EPA.
Podcasts …
WE GROW CALIFORNIA: Recovering our most precious resource
Las Virgenes General Manager and President of Water ReUse California, Dave Pedersen joins Darcy and Darcy for a frank and raw discussion on direct potable reuse (DPR). In late December, the State Water Resources Control Board approved DPR regulations; these regs will govern water agencies looking to use their wastewater as a new drinking water resource. DPR takes advanced recycled water and treats it even further through technology, innovation, and safeguards to make it potable, or drinkable. The Darcy’s weren’t on the same page, believe it or not, and the discussion includes asking Dave some tough questions on safety, cost, and most importantly, public acceptance.
VOICES OF THE VALLEY: 2024 Look ahead: Agriculture’s biggest challenges
Learn where your food really comes from. In the new season of the Voices of the Valley podcast, you’ll hear about the successes and challenges the agricultural industry experiences every day to get the best food to you and your family. In the first episode of this season, catch up with Western Growers Dennis Donohue, Center for Innovation & Technology Director, and meet Jeana Cadby, Environment and Climate Director, as they discuss how agriculture is addressing its biggest challenges in both innovation and science. The activity around supporting and strengthening specialty crop agriculture through Western Growers is bustling. Dennis and Jeana discuss how the organization and its team are actively addressing issues like automation solution, climate challenges, food safety developments, biological input innovation and more.
TALKING UNDER WATER: PFAS Progress Report for 2023
In this episode of Talking Under Water, co-host Bob Crossen talks with Radhika Fox, assistant administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water, about the agency’s annual Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Progress report, which was released on Dec. 14, 2023. Crossen and Fox discuss UCMR5; the proposed Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation; PFAS in stormwater; updates on the EPA’s Risk Assessment of PFAS in biosolids and other wastewater streams; and more.
WATER IS A MANY SPLENDOR’ED THING: Driver Safety
The enjoyment of a summer shower or winter storm can carry an element of warning as well as an ambiance of coziness and wonderment. Each of us have a lifestyle that seems to place us behind the drivers’ seat shuttling kids, getting to work on time and meeting our previously scheduled commitments with one another. My message to you is; Be careful and live life to its fullest. We are now beginning year 2024 and I encourage each of you to drive safely as you travel and live your lives this year. Water is center stage for all of us because we are vested in clean, abundant water. My new year’s resolution is to participate in supporting companies and groups in building more dialogue that helps their public, customers and government succeed in bringing people together to solve our water issues. We know the effectiveness of the old ways. New ways will succeed our expectations and lead our public to a prosperous year of company and community successes. Let’s do this together. Produced by Steven Baker, Bringing People Together to Solve Water Problems, water@operationunite.co 530-205-6388
Weekend read …
Photos reveal the dramatic transformation of San Francisco’s salt ponds
“Barbara Boissevain’s photographs have been compared to the work of American painter Mark Rothko, for their blocks of deep reds, oranges, pinks and greens. But these shades are not mixed on a palette, they are unfiltered snapshots of San Francisco Bay’s salt ponds. Taken over more than a decade, the images document the restoration of the area, from a center for commercial salt extraction back to its natural state of tidal marsh, mudflats and other wetland habitats. The ongoing South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, which launched in 2003 after acquiring land from global food corporation Cargill, aims to restore more than 15,000 acres of salt ponds – an area roughly the size of Manhattan. … ” Read more and check out the pictures at CNN.
Weekend video …
Delta Farming and Restoration Series by Sara Medina
This debut video aims to educate farmers and the community on the financial and ecological benefits as well as subsidence mitigation rice farming has in the Delta. Our Sustainable Agriculture and Land Manager, Sara Medina, had the privilege of sitting with Trevor Carlson, Farmer and Habitat Manager at the Black Hole, who spoke about the history of rice farming, the benefits, and how he believes more Delta farmers should convert.
In regional water news and commentary this weekend …
NORTH COAST
The largest US dam-removal effort to date has begun
“Wending its way from the Olympic Mountains to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington’s Elwha River is now free. For about century, the Elwha and Gilnes Canyon Dams corralled these waters. Both have since been removed, and the restoration of the watershed has started. The dam-removal project was the largest to date in the US—though it won’t hold that position for long. The Klamath River dam removal project has begun, with four of its six dams—J.C. Boyle, Copco No. 1, Copco No. 2, and Iron Gate—set to be scuppered by the end of the year, and the drawdown started this week. (In fact, Copco No. 2 is already gone.) Once the project is complete, the Klamath will run from Oregon to northwestern California largely unimpeded, allowing sediment, organic matter, and its restive waters to flow freely downriver while fish like salmon, trout, and other migratory species leap and wriggle their way upstream to spawn. … ” Read more from Ars Technica.
SEE ALSO:
- Nation’s largest dam removal marks milestone: the freeing of a major California river, from the San Francisco Chronicle
- Dam Removal on the Klamath: Reflections on How We Got Here, from American Rivers
Scott River’s 2023 coho salmon returns above average —population resilience calls into question state’s emergency water regulation
Unprecedented emergency regulations on a small ranching community in the Klamath River watershed are being called into question as state data shows that coho salmon populations continue to improve in the Scott River. The Scott, a major tributary of the Klamath River, continues to produce an increasing number of coho salmon, a threatened species listed under the state and federal endangered species acts. According to a preliminary report by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife issued on December 28, 2023, at least 913 adult coho salmon have returned to the Scott River this fall of 2023. This number is a minimum estimate, due to the fact that the video counting weir was removed on December 27th in light of high flow forecasts. This conservative estimate of 913 is above the 15-year average (703) for returning spawners. The success of this particular brood year is significant, as protection of this generation of coho was cited as a primary reason for the State Water Resource Control Board’s adoption of unprecedented emergency regulations that curtailed 100 percent of local irrigation water in September of 2021. Similar regulations remain in place to this day: when “emergency flow” levels are not met in the Scott River, irrigation water is curtailed. … ” Read more from the Scott Valley Agriculture Water Alliance.
Conservation efforts are in full swing on the Noyo River as coho salmon spawning season begins
“Coho spawning season is in full swing. That means fisheries biologists are donning waders and venturing into freshwater rivers and streams to see how many anadromous fish have come home from the open ocean. On the South Fork of the Noyo River, at Camp 1 in the Jackson Demonstration State Forest, state agencies, the UC Cooperative Extension, California Conservation Corps members, and nonprofit conservation organizations have been counting adult fish and their redds, or nests, since 2009. On Saturday, a couple dozen visitors took a field trip to the site to learn about the life cycle stages of the iconic species. … ” Read more from Mendo Fever.
Crews making steady progress on Ukiah Purple Pipe installation
“When schools were out for the holidays, crews installing pipe for the final phase of the city’s Recycled Water Project tried their best to finish with the roads closest to Ukiah High School before the students returned to their classrooms. However, the weather had other plans. “I’m definitely not going to complain about the soggy December we had,” said Sean White, director of water and sewer for the city of Ukiah, noting that while the multiple days of steady rain were definitely welcome overall, they did slow down efforts to install the Purple Pipe under Low Gap Road. “Over Christmas Break, (Ghilotti) crews doubled up and did their best to get all the pipe installed near the high school, and while the vast majority of it is done, they didn’t quite get it all in before the rain,” said White, describing the crews as “nearly wrapping up with the section that causes the most headaches” when hundreds of vehicles flow in and out of the school parking lot. … ” Read more from the Willits News.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
How recent storms contributed to the Tahoe avalanche, and what they mean for snowpack
“An avalanche at the Palisades Tahoe resort yesterday left wreckage in its wake, killing one person and leaving others with non-life threatening injuries. More heavy snow is on the way; forecasts say the risk of avalanches in the area remains “considerable,” The avalanche comes amid a rash of storms that have brought more snowfall to California. Right now, California is at 42% of average snowpack statewide — a number that jumped up from 37% just yesterday, and much higher than the 25% reported at the Jan. 2 snow survey. But these storms alone aren’t enough to get the state’s snowpack to a healthy level. So far, the year has been relatively dry, especially when compared to last year’s extraordinarily wet winter. Andrew Schwartz, lead scientist of UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab, spoke with Insight’s Vicki Gonzalez and at a Thursday press event about snow conditions since the avalanche and what they mean for statewide snowpack. … ” Read more from Capital Public Radio.
Will avalanches in California worsen with climate change?
“As a popular Tahoe ski resort digs out from a tragedy that killed a skier and buried several others, scientists say predicting how the warming planet will affect avalanches is elusive at best. Just after lifts opened on Wednesday, an avalanche tore through the Palisades Tahoe ski resort, creating a 10-foot-deep debris field that stretched 450 feet long and 150 feet wide. A second one struck in neighboring Alpine Meadows this afternoon, although no one was injured. The US Forest Service and ski resorts take steps to forecast and prevent dangerous slides, and avalanche fatalities at ski resorts remain rare: Before this week, the last one in California was four years ago. But what can California’s skiers and snowboarders expect as Sierra Nevada snow patterns are becoming unpredictable because of climate change? … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
AB 2339 & AB 850 help city of Willows sell water system assets to local water utility California Water Service
“California Water Service (Cal Water), which has provided water utility service to the majority of Willows, Calif. since 1927, recently acquired the municipal water system assets of the City of Willows (Willows or City), which served the remainder of the city. The purchase, completed in late December 2023, was aided by California Assembly Bills 2339 and 850. In 2018, the state enacted AB 2339, authored by Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson); it enabled select cities, including Willows, to more easily sell their municipal water systems when owning and operating the system was not economical or in the public interest. AB 850, authored by Assemblymember James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) and enacted in 2021, extended the sunset date set in AB 2339 through the end of 2023. The legislation allowed the City of Willows to sell its municipal water system without incurring substantial costs that would have otherwise been required and burdened this small community in northern California. … ” Read more from California Water Service.
NAPA/SONOMA
A last best hope for coho in the Russian River
“The lazy waters of Willow Creek flow under a small highway bridge just a few yards upstream of its entry into the lower Russian River in western Sonoma County. The stream, about 30 feet across, is glassy and clear. Ducks paddle along the edges, and deer frequent the banks. The adjacent meadows and forested slopes, as part of the California State Parks system, are protected, and they’re coveted by hikers, bikers, and campers. While many passersby likely see Willow Creek as a pristine recreational getaway, John Green sees a watershed in distress. “Under natural conditions, there wouldn’t be one single-thread channel,” says Green, a fluvial geomorphologist and a lead scientist with the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District (RCD). Plotting a retrofit, he waves his hand over this imagined floodplain—where high winter flows would naturally spill outward, creating rich wetlands and prime foraging grounds for small fish. “It would probably be a narrower channel that was not as deep,” he says, “and there would be all kinds of tributary channels coming in, and there would be areas that got inundated more frequently.” … ” Read more from Bay Nature.
BAY AREA
Flooding from King Tides gives glimpse of future sea level rise
“Residents living along the Bay Area coastline have recently dealt with huge waves at the beaches and local flooding from higher than normal tides. This is giving us a glimpse of what we may experience with sea level rise and climate change in the coming years. King Tides are not caused by sea level rise. They have to do with the gravitational pull of the moon, sun and the earth. But those one to two feet of higher water levels are similar to what we can expect soon. Sea level rise is connected to the melting of glaciers and ice sheets that are taking up more space as the water warms and expands. … ” Read more from NBC Bay Area.
SEE ALSO: With climate change, king tides could be the new normal, from the San Jose Mercury News
CENTRAL COAST
Recycled water to supply Peninsula raises eyebrows from Salinas Valley growers.
“In May 2022, Paul Sciuto, general manager of Monterey One Water, was under his house building a shed when he got a call from Brent Buche, then-general manager of the Monterey County Water Resources Agency. As Sciuto recalls it, Buche said something to the effect of, “The growers need water, now.” Monterey One Water, aka M1W, operates two water recycling projects known as Pure Water Monterey (PWM) and the Castroville Seawater Intrusion Project (CSIP), the latter of which was launched in 1992 after growers recognized that seawater intrusion into groundwater posed an existential threat to those growing crops along the coast (the project started delivering water in 1998). It’s a problem created by overpumping, as seawater inches inland – underground – to fill the vacuum, making the water unusable for irrigation. … ” Read more from Monterey Weekly.
Watsonville, Pajaro flood victims file lawsuit
“The people affected by the storms and floods that occurred between Dec. 31, 2022 and March 11, 2023 have filed two lawsuits against the counties of Monterey and Santa Cruz, as well as the flood management agencies in those counties, along with the City of Watsonville and the California Department of Transportation, alleging they did not take the proper measures to stop the damages caused by those disasters. The lawsuits allege that the defendants allowed the flood control systems of the lower Pajaro River watershed to remain in a “state of complete disrepair,” even after 10 flood events that occurred throughout the decades since the levee system was built in 1949. … ” Read more from the Pajaronian.
SAN DIEGO
Mexican military takes over broken Tijuana sewage plant rehab
“The Mexican military is taking over reconstruction of a broken wastewater treatment plant in Tijuana that pollutes southern San Diego beaches in summertime. It’s the latest infrastructure project Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is entrusting to the military to complete, like Tren Maya, a new massive railway looping the Yucatan peninsula and a new airport in Mexico City. Now that list of projects includes Punta Bandera, a Tijuana wastewater plant that has been broken since at least 2014, which spews untreated sewage into the Pacific Ocean just six miles south of the U.S. border. … ” Read more from the Voice of San Diego.
SEE ALSO: ‘No more beach closures:’ Mexico breaks ground on long-awaited wastewater treatment plant, from the San Diego Union-Tribune
In national water news this weekend …
2023 was the world’s warmest year on record, by far
“It’s official: 2023 was the planet’s warmest year on record, according to an analysis by scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Along with the historic heat, Antarctic sea ice coverage dropped to a record low in 2023. “After seeing the 2023 climate analysis, I have to pause and say that the findings are astounding,” said NOAA Chief Scientist Dr. Sarah Kapnick. “Not only was 2023 the warmest year in NOAA’s 174-year climate record — it was the warmest by far. A warming planet means we need to be prepared for the impacts of climate change that are happening here and now, like extreme weather events that become both more frequent and severe. “We will continue to see records broken and extreme events grow until emissions go to zero,” Kapnick said. “Government policy can address both emissions, but also actions to reduce climate impacts by building resilience.” … ” Read more from NOAA.
Also on Maven’s Notebook this weekend …
NOTICE of Water Quality Certification Application for Battle Creek Salmon and Steelhead Restoration Project: Phase 2 No Regrets
