A wrap-up of posts published on Maven’s Notebook this week …
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In California water news this week …
Solano County ready to sue state over Delta tunnel EIR
Paul Hames / DWR
“Solano County will be working with three other counties and a couple of water districts to “initiate litigation challenging the final environmental impact report and project approval for the Delta Conveyance Project.” The Solano County Board of Supervisors, on a unanimous vote taken during a closed session Tuesday, approved the action. County Counsel Bernadette Curry reported that the county will be coordinating with outside counsel on the litigation: Osha Meserve, from the Soluri Meserve firm; Tom Keeling, from the Freeman law firm; and Roger Moore, from the Law Office of Roger Moore. No formal budget has been set but the county is anticipating a cost of $75,000. The county, in its most recent letter to the state Department of Water Resources, called the impact report “inadequate” in its response to the county’s concerns and how the project will mitigate a host of potential impacts. … ” Read more from the Daily Republic.
Big Delta tunnel project raises questions over Napa water supply
“California’s recent approval of the controversial Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta tunnel water project is causing at least some ripples in Napa County, even though the tunnel would be some 40 miles away. That’s because the cities of Napa, American Canyon and Calistoga receive drinking water from the Delta. The source is Barker Slough along Highway 113 in rural Solano County, with the North Bay Aqueduct providing the connection through Jameson Canyon. None of that would be changed by the Delta tunnel, should it ever be built in coming decades amid a variety of challenges. The 45-mile-long tunnel is to carry water for shipment to Southern and Central California. Still, the tunnel would change the Delta water regime. … ” Read more from the Napa Register.
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.
Third District rejects CEQA and other challenges to Department of Water Resources’ EIR for amendments extending long-term State Water Project supply contracts through 2085
“In a 51-page published opinion filed January 5, 2024, and resolving consolidated appeals, the Third District Court of Appeal rejected baseline, piecemealing/segmentation, impact analysis, project description, alternatives analysis, and failure-to-recirculate challenges to the EIR for the Department of Water Resources’ (“DWR”) approval of amendments to long-term water supply contracts with local government agencies receiving water through the State Water Project (“SWP”). The amendments extended the contracts, which were originally entered into in the 1960s for 75-year terms, so as to end in the year 2085, and made other amendments to their financial provisions. In the course of affirming the trial court’s judgment upholding the EIR and contract amendments against CEQA, Delta Reform Act, public trust doctrine, and other challenges, the Court of Appeal applied numerous well-established CEQA principles in the enormously significant and complex context of continuing long-term SWP contracts. Planning and Conservation League, et al v. Department of Water Resources, et al, etc. (2023) ___ Cal.App.5th ___ (Ct. App. Nos. C096304, C096316, C096384). … ” Read more from Miller Starr Regalia.
Project aims to develop new tools to allocate limited water supplies
“Joan Didion wrote in the 1970s that “so much water is moved around California by so many different agencies that maybe only the movers themselves know on any given day whose water is where.” In the half-century since, not much has changed — except for the climate. “We really struggle as a state to convey basic information about California’s water — where it’s coming from and who is using it, when, and where. This makes it difficult to understand how climate change will affect our access to water and to determine what actions are needed to reduce risks to communities, agriculture, and the environment,” says Ted Grantham, PhD, a UC Berkeley associate professor of cooperative extension. Grantham leads a two-year, $9.1 million research project called COEQWAL, which stands for “Collaboratory for Equity in Water Allocations.” COEQWAL aims to use sophisticated water and climate modeling — coupled with engagement with dozens of diverse academics, regulators, water suppliers, and water users — to provide California with new state-of-the-art water planning and stewardship tools. … ” Read more from Maven’s Notebook.
C-WIN: Coming Clean: State Water Resources Control Board finally acknowledges “paper water”
“In a proposed update to a management plan for the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers and their shared Delta, the State Water Resources Control Board has finally acknowledged California’s water supplies are oversubscribed by 500%. Aimed at protecting water quality and fisheries, the Board’s Phase II Flow Update stipulates flow volume and temperature targets for the Bay-Delta. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is the export point for both the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project, the massive water conveyance systems that send water to South State agribusiness operations and cities. “This update differs from past plans and policy revisions in one very important way,” says Carolee Krieger, the executive director of the California Water Impact Network, an organization that litigates for equitable water distribution. … ” Continue reading this press release from the California Water Impact Network.
Zone 7 mulls Sites Reservoir share
“Sites Reservoir, California’s first major reservoir in 45 years, recently took a crucial step forward despite opposition from environmental groups. The Sites Project Authority has certified its final environmental impact report and approved the project. … The 1.5 million acre-foot reservoir operates on a “beneficiary pays” system, in which some 30 agencies across California — such as the Coachella Valley Water District, the Desert Water Agency and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California — have contributed funds in return for a commitment to receive blocks of reservoir water delivered through the State Water Project (SWP). To date, the Tri-Valley’s Zone 7 has contributed $4.3 million to the Sites Project as part of the reservoir’s planning process and expects reservoir water rights of 10,000 acre-feet per year. Zone 7 General Manager Valerie Pryor said the Sites Reservoir will bolster Tri-Valley water supplies through longer droughts. … ” Read more from the Livermore Independent.
SEE ALSO: The Joint Benefits of the New Water Projects Are Questionable, editorial from the Livermore Independent
What are snow droughts and is climate change making them worse?
“Scientists distinguish among an expanding variety of droughts. There are droughts when it doesn’t rain. There are droughts when soil is too dry, when rivers and groundwater levels fall, and when water storage can’t meet society’s needs. Increasingly, researchers also are talking about snow droughts, which a new study in the journal Nature links to climate change. There are also connections between snow droughts and wildfires. Is “snow drought” a new term? The term is old, with use peaking in the late 1970s, according to the Google Books Ngram viewer. It bubbled up again during the 2010s as regions that depend on snowpack for water saw their bounties thin, and it began to climb in 2017. That’s when three US researchers wrote an essay titled “Defining Snow Drought and Why It Matters,” which kicked off a global effort to document trends around the world and explain them. … ” Read more from Bloomberg (gift article).
State officials wouldn’t let these homeowners build a sea wall. Their lawsuit could reshape California’s coast
Raging storms brought major damage to California’s coastline last winter. They washed out West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz, smashed the Capitola Wharf, burst levees on the Pajaro River in Watsonville, flooded the Santa Barbara airport, and sent two tornadoes barreling into Los Angeles. Most of the destruction is largely repaired now, or at least under construction. But at the end of a quiet residential street in Half Moon Bay, a different kind of coastal upheaval is gaining momentum — one that could decide the fate of billions of dollars of property and affect hundreds of public beaches from San Diego to the Oregon border as rising seas pose a growing threat to the state’s beloved 1,100-mile coastline. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
A Functional Flows approach to implementing Flood-MAR
” … Flood managed aquifer recharge, or Flood-MAR, is a strategy to intentionally create flooding over dormant or fallow crop fields, rangelands, recharge basins, or floodplains during high flows so that water infiltrates to recharge aquifers. By storing water underground in wet years, we can improve water availability in dry years, supporting water users and refilling aquifers. There also can be a host of ecological benefits, particularly for Flood-MAR projects that reintroduce water to historical floodplains and reactivate wetland and riparian habitats. However, the way that we implement recharge matters. … ” Continue reading at the California Water Blog.
A look back at 2023’s volatile year in water
“If the year 2023 had a theme, it might have been “get ready to pivot on a dime.” That’s what water managers had to do when the driest three-year period on record gave way to a series of atmospheric rivers early in the year that pummeled the state. Volatility was the name of the game. Water managers who had hustled to innovate and adapt during the drought had to manage a sudden influx of water. As atmospheric rivers followed one another in quick succession, the poor condition of California’s crisis communications came to the fore. Swollen rivers and an epic snowpack led to the return of Tulare Lake, which in turn engendered a mad dash to save dairy cattle in harm’s way and exposed weaknesses in the valley’s planning and emergency responses. While flooding could have been worse, some (particularly low-income) communities were hit hard. … ” Read more from the PPIC.
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.
The story of the orcas and the chinook salmon
“Thanks to 20th-century aquariums and marine theme parks, orcas—also known as killer whales—are the most iconic marine mammals in America. When the public learned their captivity involved torture, captive orca exhibits (mostly) disappeared from those parks, as they should have. Now there are signs that certain groups of orcas could disappear entirely. Significantly, many of the orcas captured—including the famed Shamu—came from a small population of orcas whose trusting nature made them easy to catch. Southern Resident orcas, which historically spent the summer and fall months in Washington’s Puget Sound, are down to only 75 left in the world. Designated as endangered in 2005, the Southern Residents are still some of the most critically endangered marine mammals in the United States. But it’s a different human activity that is now making it hard for these creatures to survive. … ” Read more from Sierra Magazine.
Assemblymember Connolly passes clean water protections for rural communities and endangered wetlands
“Today, Assemblymember Connolly passed Assembly Bill (AB) 828 out of the Assembly Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee, which allows managed wetlands and small disadvantaged communities to use their average annual water usage without being subject to excessive fines by Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) as part of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Several GSAs are proposing groundwater allocations that are unworkable for rural communities and endangered wetlands. AB 828 will protect small communities’ access to safe and affordable drinking water and keep some of the state’s last wetlands from going dry. “Wetlands are a critical natural resources for our state, and small, rural communities are being hit the hardest by the state’s depleting groundwater resources,” said Assemblymember Damon Connolly (D-San Rafael). “These disadvantaged communities usually depend on a single source for their water supply, leaving them vulnerable to drought and affordability challenges. AB 828 brings California closer to protecting safe and clean water accessibility for all California communities. ” … ” Read more from Assemblymember Damon Connolly.
Governor releases budget proposal. Here’s the detail on water and climate spending
“Governor Gavin Newsom today introduced his 2024-25 state budget proposal, a balanced funding plan that maintains the state’s fiscal stability while preserving key investments for education, public safety, addressing homelessness, mental health care reform, climate action, and other priorities. Using some of the unprecedented budget reserves built up over the years and other tools, this budget responsibly closes a projected $37.86 billion shortfall. … ” Note: There is no funding in the Governor’s budget for the Delta Conveyance Project, nor is there any funding for groundwater management. Here are the details on the water and climate spending in the Governor’s budget proposal.
Here’s what you’re really swallowing when you drink bottled water
“People are swallowing hundreds of thousands of microscopic pieces of plastic each time they drink a liter of bottled water, scientists have shown — a revelation that could have profound implications for human health. A new paper released Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found about 240,000 particles in the average liter of bottled water, most of which were “nanoplastics” — particles measuring less than one micrometer (less than one-seventieth the width of a human hair). For the past several years, scientists have been looking for “microplastics,” or pieces of plastic that range from one micrometer to half a centimeter in length, and found them almost everywhere. … But researchers at Columbia University have now identified the extent to which nanoplastics also pose a threat. … ” Read more from the Washington Post (gift article).
In commentary this week …
Water rationing is the worst way to build resiliency
Edward Ring, senior fellow with the California Policy Center, writes, “When a public policy decision is flawed, and the reasons it is flawed are simple and obvious, and the consequences are huge and costly, the appropriate response for a concerned observer is to call attention to the looming debacle. Not just once, but over and over and over again. An example of an impending economic and environmental disaster is the special interest driven mad rush to deploy floating wind turbines off the California coast. It’s insane, and we must return soon to the topic of offshore wind in the context of California’s overall energy strategy. In the meantime, let’s take yet another look at an equally distressing policy disaster, the flawed implementation of a flawed piece of legislation, SB 1157 by Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Los Angeles), otherwise known as urban water rationing. … ” Continue reading at the California Globe.
Who is to blame for California’s budget woes? Try Mother Nature
“California has officially entered the era of climate-driven economic insecurity. On Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom laid out his new budget, facing a nearly $38-billion shortfall. That missing money is mostly due to lower-than-expected tax revenue on capital gains — the stock and investment earnings of the Golden State’s wealthiest folks weren’t quite what were expected. But, unlike most years when state officials have a grasp by April, when taxes are usually filed, of how much money California can responsibly spend, last year was different. … Our weather was so volatile and devastating that even the IRS had mercy, delaying the deadline for the majority of the state’s residents to file taxes first to October and then to November. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Rising sea levels and algae blooms threaten our coast. Nature may have a solution
“There’s never a dull moment when it comes to the Bay Area’s coastline. This week, scientists expect the king tides, some of the highest tides of the year, to hit our shores. These tides, which occur every winter and can measure up to 7 feet high, have the potential to flood coastal neighborhoods and are expected to last several days. And while king tides occur naturally and are not an effect of climate change, they do provide a preview of what Bay Area residents can expect as sea levels continue to rise. Already, climate change has caused the Bay Area’s water level to rise about 8 inches in the past 200 years and experts predict that the level could rise an additional 6 inches by 2030 and as much as 7 feet by 2100. That kind of rise is likely to cause hundreds of billions of dollars in damage to infrastructure and property, and potentially drown vital marsh habitat. But Bay Area regional agencies recently estimated that armoring the Bay Area’s shorelines against sea level rise would cost about $110 billion. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
The delicate balancing act between California’s environmental goals and economic reality
“Living in Northern California, I’m constantly reminded of the delicate dance between environmental aspirations and economic realities. The California Air Resources Board’s ambitious 2045 carbon neutrality goal raises valid concerns about potential ripples impacting crucial industries and the wallets of everyday Californians. From governors Arnold Schwarzenegger to Gavin Newsom, the state’s long-held desire to address environmental hazards is noble. But it is crucial to ensure policy doesn’t unintentionally disrupt lives and drain pockets; regulations that add costs are far more likely to have unintended consequences than incentives that produce the same end result. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
In regional water news this week …
That’s not snow: Thousands of styrofoam beads wash up on Incline Village beaches
“Community members are throwing pasta strainers, kitty litter scoops, buckets, tarps, leaf blowers, and shop vacuums at cleaning up potentially hundreds of thousands of styrofoam beads that washed ashore Incline and Ski Beach on Sunday. To the unknowing onlooker, the beads look like snow that has settled into drifts around the beach. The source of the nearly Dippin’ Dot sized beads—a floating dock—discovered Sunday afternoon. The dock likely broke open during the storm, scattering an unknown amount of plastic styrofoam beads into the lake. The Incline Village Improvement District removed the damaged dock Monday morning and volunteers have been working since to clean up its remnant pellets. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
Rice farmers, refuge benefit from water delivery upgrades
“Thirty years after Congress required California provide more water for fish and wildlife through the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA), a popular wildlife refuge amidst rice fields will get what was promised, and this time not at the cost of farmers. Late last year Ducks Unlimited and a host of collaborators including the Biggs West Gridley Water District, and several state and federal agencies, heralded the culmination of six years of work costing more than $52 million to improve over five miles of canals, install seven new water control structures, raise numerous county and private bridges, and build a tunnel under a railroad. All with the goal of complying with the 1992 CVPIA, a law dedicating 800,000 acre-feet of water annually for fish and wildlife. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press.
Bay Area: Corps experiments with sediment feed from shallows
“On a hazy winter day this past December two tugs pushed two scows back and forth across the glassy bay between the Redwood City shipping channel and the shallows off Eden Landing. What looked like your ordinary harbor dredging project, with an orange clamshell clawing up mud to make way for deep-drafting ships, was actually quite extraordinary. That’s because the destination of the mud-loaded scows was not a disposal site but a mile-long, 138-acre stretch of shallow water near Whale’s Tail marsh. This particular stretch of shallows has been carefully chosen by scientists and computer models because local conditions here — tides, winds, wave direction, depth, proximity to marshes — should all help deliver the sediment to the marsh and recharge mudflats. And goodness knows they need it. With sea levels rising, many San Francisco Bay marshes will eventually drown. … ” Read more from Knee Deep Times.
Triumph or insult? The complicated legacy of the Bay Area’s water temples
In Redwood City, there’s a round, open-air rotunda that looks like it was plucked right out of ancient Rome. It has stone columns, an ornate dome and even a reflecting pool. It’s called the Pulgas Water Temple, and there’s another one just like it in Sunol, about 40 miles away. Bay Curious listener Will Hoffknecht enjoys photographing unique places around the Bay Area. These classically styled temples make for some great shots, so he’s visited a few times. “I’m just trying to better understand the history of those,” Hoffknecht said. “It seems like an odd thing that there’s these multiple temples around.” The story of these temples begins back in the 1770s. … ” Read/listen at KQED.
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.
Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority begins first year of cloud seeding pilot program to increase local water supply
“The Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA) conducted the first cloud seeding events of the Santa Ana River Watershed Weather Modification Pilot Program during recent storms in late December and early January. The Pilot Program, launched in November 2023, is intended to evaluate the effectiveness of enhancing local water supplies through cloud seeding in the region. If shown to be effective, cloud seeding can enhance the watershed resilience of the Santa Ana River Watershed by increasing snow and rainfall from storms by 5-15 percent in targeted areas. The Santa Ana River Watershed, spanning portions of Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange Counties, plays a vital role in supporting diverse ecosystems, providing water resources, and offering recreational opportunities to millions of residents. Recognizing the importance of enhancing and preserving this valuable natural resource, SAWPA initiated the Pilot Program to provide an additional source of water supply to adapt to the impacts of climate change risks and help sustain the health of the watershed. … ” Read more from the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority.
Massive dumping ground of WWII-era munitions discovered off Los Angeles coast
“It’s not just toxic chemical waste and mysterious barrels that litter the seafloor off the coast of Los Angeles. Oceanographers have now discovered what appears to be a massive dumping ground of military weaponry. As part of an unprecedented effort to map and better understand the history of ocean dumping in the region, scientists have found a multitude of discarded munition boxes, smoke floats and depth charges lurking 3,000 feet underwater. Most appear to be from the World War II era, and it remains unclear what risk they might pose to the environment. “We started to find the same objects by the dozens, if not hundreds, consistently… It actually took a few days to really understand what we were seeing on the seabed,” said Eric Terrill, who co-led the deep-ocean survey with Sophia Merrifield at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. “Who knew that right in our backyard, the more you look, the more you find.” … ” Read more from the LA Times.
SEE ALSO: WWII-era munitions found under water in survey of Southern California industrial waste dump site, from the Associated Press
Fallbrook sees rates drop in ‘water divorce,’ Rainbow not so much — yet. Here’s why
“With the new year, Fallbrook residents are seeing a reduction in their water rates as a result of the detachment from the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) — the so-called “water divorce.” Voters in Fallbrook and Rainbow overwhelmingly approved the detachment, a process that started four years ago. Both Fallbrook Public Utility District (FPUD) and Rainbow Municipal Water District (RMWD) had said that their customers were paying too much for water. The lower rate is a result of the divorce. FPUD detached from the Water Authority on Jan. 1. … ” Read more from KPBS.
Colorado River states are racing to agree on cuts before inauguration day
“The states that rely on the Colorado River, which is shrinking because of climate change and overuse, are rushing to agree on a long-term deal to share the dwindling resource by the end of the year. They worry that a change in administrations after the election could set back talks. … The rules that govern the distribution of Colorado River water expire at the end of 2026. Negotiators are trying to reach a deal quickly, in case the White House changes hands. It’s not the prospect of a Republican administration that is particularly concerning, negotiators said, but rather a change in personnel and the time required to build new relationships between state and federal officials. … ” Read more from the New York Times (gift article).
Announcements, notices, and funding opportunities …
NOTICE of Water Quality Certification Application for Battle Creek Salmon and Steelhead Restoration Project: Phase 2 No Regrets
