Incoming storms …
California’s next atmospheric river-fueled storm could be more extreme. Here’s the outlook
“The first in a series of atmospheric river storms caused flooding and landslides throughout coastal California on Wednesday and Thursday, but it may have just been a preview of what’s to come from the second storm. For now, the risk of scattered thunderstorms throughout the Bay Area persists Friday and Saturday. While the storm earlier this week was associated with an atmospheric river, a narrow plume of moisture in the sky, this second atmospheric river will be more extreme due to its slow-moving nature. A south-to-north orientation of the moisture plume will cause the storm to take direct aim at south-southwest facing regions for a long duration. Areas between Santa Cruz County and Los Angeles could experience moderate to heavy rain for 24 to 48 consecutive hours, long enough to cause widespread flooding and landslides. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle (gift article).
Storm exiting West Coast, but another atmospheric river is days away
“Over the past 36 hours, an atmospheric river has lashed southwest Oregon and much of California. Colloquially called a “Pineapple Express,” the atmospheric fire hose has been drenching the West Coast and leading to flooding, as well as landslides, strong winds and mountain snow. It represents a 2,500-mile-long moisture plume originating as far away as Hawaii.Much of California’s Central Valley, Gold Country, the Bay Area and the Central Coast will remain under flood watches through Thursday night. Flood warnings are up in Northern California, too, where the National Weather Service is cautioning that “flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations is imminent or occurring.” … ” Read more from the Washington Post (gift article).
California pummeled by first of back-to-back atmospheric rivers as ‘Pineapple Express’ sweeps state
“Heavy rain flooded California roadways and much-needed snow piled up in the mountains as the first of back-to-back atmospheric rivers pummeled the state Thursday. The storm focused its energy on the southern and eastern parts of the state after initially hitting the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday, where it halted cable car service. The downpours arrived Thursday in Southern California in time to snarl the morning commute. An atmospheric river, which is a long band of moisture that forms over the Pacific, was fueling the storms dousing the Los Angeles and San Diego areas, said National Weather Service forecaster Bob Oravec. … ” Read more from the Associated Press.
SEE ALSO:
- Satellite images show massive atmospheric river that is barreling over the West Coast, from CBS News
- Watch wonderful rush of water released down iconic Oroville Dam spillway for flood safety, from the Sacramento Bee
- Atmospheric river drenches California, with more storms on the way, from the New York Times
- Explainer: What is an atmospheric river and how does it affect drought in California?, from NBC 4
In other California water news today …
‘Abnormally dry’ conditions spike as California struggles with below-average snowpack
“A Thursday update from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows the eastern slopes of California’s Sierra Nevada are drying — and the lack of snow accumulation could accelerate unfavorable conditions. The second manual snow survey of the water season — which began Oct. 1 — showed moderate improvement to the state’s snowpack but conditions remain “far below normal,” according to a news release from the California Department of Water Resources. A weekly map that illustrates drought intensities across the country shows the state’s “abnormally dry” status spiked more than 6% to nearly 9.5%. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
Delta levees prove resilient even after 4.2 quake last October
“The 4.2-magnitude earthquake in the city of Isleton in Sacramento County last October that was felt as far as East County underscored the seismic resilience of the Delta levees, with officials from the Contra Costa County Water Agency pointing to proper levee system maintenance as the best way to protect communities and water supplies important to other areas of the state. The water agency said that the cost of maintaining levees is significantly less than the proposed Delta tunnel by the state, and needs to be done in any case. … ” Read more from The Press.
OpenET moisture measurement tool is proving highly accurate
“As the world looks for sustainable solutions, a system tapping into NASA satellite data for water management has passed a critical test. Called OpenET, the system uses an ensemble of six satellite-driven models that harness publicly available data from the Landsat program to calculate evapotranspiration (ET)—the movement of water vapor from soil and plant leaves into the atmosphere. OpenET does this on a field-level scale that is greatly improving the way farmers, ranchers, and water resource managers steward one of Earth’s most precious resources. Researchers have now conducted a large-scale analysis of how well OpenET is tracking evapotranspiration over crops and natural landscapes. … ” Read more from NASA.
Tracking the invisible movement of water
“As the world looks for sustainable solutions, a system tapping into NASA satellite data for water management has passed a critical test. Called OpenET, the system uses an ensemble of six satellite-driven models that harness publicly available data from the Landsat program to calculate evapotranspiration (ET)—the movement of water vapor from soil and plant leaves into the atmosphere. OpenET does this on a field-level scale that is greatly improving the way farmers, ranchers, and water resource managers steward one of Earth’s most precious resources. Researchers recently conducted a large-scale analysis of how well OpenET is tracking evapotranspiration over crops and natural landscapes. The team compared OpenET data with measurements from 152 sites with ground-based instruments across the United States. In agricultural areas, OpenET calculated evapotranspiration with high accuracy, especially for annual crops such as wheat, corn, soy, and rice. … ” Read more from Earth Observatory.
CA governor vows multi-pronged salmon restoration efforts
“Salmon, the silvery fish that transition from fresh water to salt and back again, have been on the ropes in California. On Tuesday, a day after touring two habitat restoration sites on the North Coast, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a half dozen priorities aimed at saving salmon from the fate of grizzly bears in the state. Newsom is doubling down on dam removal, calling attention to efforts underway to remove several obsolete dams on the Klamath River. … ” Read more from NorCal Public Media.
Innovative collection system supports reintroducing winter-run salmon to the McCloud river
“The Department of Water Resources (DWR), along with its Tribal, state, and federal partners, are testing a pilot project that will help with the reintroduction of juvenile winter-run Chinook salmon, an endangered species, to the McCloud River. The reintroduction is important because salmon haven’t been able to access this area since the 1940s when dams were built and blocked all fish migration. The pilot project involves installing a floating structure that spans the width of the river called the Juvenile Salmon Collection System (collection system) at the point where the McCloud River meets Shasta Reservoir. The collection system is designed to safely catch juvenile winter-run Chinook salmon as they emigrate out of the upper river, before they get stuck in the vast reservoir. What makes the collection system so unique is it’s a passive system that can be moved as river and reservoir levels change. … ” Read more from DWR News.
U.S. Department of Commerce allocates over $20.6M in fishery disaster funding
“U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced today the allocation of $20.6 million to address a fishery resource disaster that occurred in the 2023 Sacramento River Fall Chinook and Klamath River Fall Chinook ocean and inland salmon fisheries. NOAA Fisheries used revenue loss information from the commercial, processor and charter sectors to allocate funding for the disaster. “Fishery disasters have wide-ranging impacts and can affect commercial and recreational fishermen, subsistence users, charter businesses, shore-side infrastructure and the marine environment,” said Secretary Raimondo. “These funds will help affected California communities recover and improve sustainability.” … ” Read more from NOAA.
Cannabis grower to pay $750,000 for violating state water, wildlife regulations
“A Humboldt County cannabis grower has agreed to pay $750,000, remove unpermitted ponds and restore streams and wetlands after state officials accused him of violating regulations protecting water supplies, wildlife and waterways. Of the total, $500,000 is a record penalty for a water rights violation in California. State officials say the violations by Joshua Sweet and the companies he owns and manages, Shadow Light Ranch, LLC and The Hills, LLC, continued for years and were “egregious,” damaging wetlands and other resources. Under the settlement, Sweet will have to pay an additional $1 million if the remediation work outlined is not completed. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
Marin among counties suing Tesla over hazardous waste
“Eight Bay Area counties claim in a new lawsuit that electric carmaker Tesla illegally dumped hazardous waste produced in its Fremont factory and its auto service centers around the region. District attorneys in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma counties along and 17 other California counties filed the suit Tuesday in San Joaquin County Superior Court, alleging that the company led by Elon Musk broke a host of laws on labeling, transportation and disposal of toxic materials. The lawsuit, which singles out the Fremont factory for its generation of painting byproducts and potentially toxic spatter from welding car panels, states that Tesla handles, stores, transports, stores and disposes of used batteries and lubricating oils, brake fluids, lead-acid batteries, aerosols, antifreeze, cleaning fluids, propane, paint, acetone, liquified petroleum gas, glues and diesel fuel. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
In commentary today …
Newsom “strategy” condemns Central Valley salmon to “hotter, drier future”
Chris Shutes writes, “The “California Salmon Strategy” announced January 30, 2024 by the Newsom Administration is a tour de force of avoidance and deflection. It blows right past the single largest issue facing California’s salmon: inadequate flows into and through the Bay-Delta Estuary. The Newsom administration has been, and continues to be, on the wrong side of Delta flow. The new Strategy document does not cure that unacceptable position. On the contrary, it ducks it. The Newsom administration is the ringleader of the “Voluntary Agreements” that would increase Delta inflow and outflow by an average of about 5%. A flow increase of 5% is far, far short of what the State Water Board is proposing for the update of the Bay-Delta Plan and what its science says Central Valley salmon need. If it were dollars, 5% wouldn’t even pay the sales tax. … ” Read more from CSPA.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Deer, fish die after Klamath River dam breaching
“The company removing four dams on the Klamath River to protect salmon and improve river health is reporting the death of significant numbers of non-native fish and an oxygen level of 0% on Saturday as reservoirs drained and silt washed downstream. Meanwhile, the Hornbrook Fire Protection District is reporting the death of at least eight deer that became stuck in muck at the draining reservoirs. One dam, Copco 2, was removed last year, with three to go, beginning with the “drawdown” of water in the three reservoirs behind the other dams. The drawdown began Jan. 11 at Iron Gate, Jan. 16 at JC Boyle and Jan. 23 at Copco 1 dams, all northeast of Hornbrook, Calif. … ” Read more from the Capital Press.
Some relief secured for communities impacted by salmon season closure, call for more
“Today, Representative Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Representative Jimmy Panetta (D- Monterey) shared the news that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) approved $20 million in relief funds for California’s fishing community, falling significantly short of the $45 million requested by the state. This follows continued pressure from the lawmakers to secure this relief for the 2023 Sacramento River Fall Chinook and Klamath River Fall Chinook and inland salmon fisheries disasters. … ” Continue reading at the Lost Coast Outpost.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Palisades Tahoe ski resort records new snow, more coming this weekend as storms roll though region
“While the North Bay got drenched from Wednesday’s atmospheric river, the Sierras are seeing new snowfall and expecting more to come. Palisades Tahoe, the largest ski resort in the Lake Tahoe region, announced Thursday morning that it had received four inches of snow in its upper mountains, and one inch of wet snow at the resort’s base. According to the Olympic Valley resort, steady snow showers are expected Thursday morning and again on Friday, with more scattered showers later Thursday and Friday night. “We could see an additional 5-10 inches of snow at the base, 8-13 inches near mid-mountain, and 10-15 inches on the upper mountain by Saturday morning,” meteorologist Bryan Allegretto wrote on the resort’s blog Thursday. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
$3.4 million will go to farmers and ranchers in the Central Sierra to improve soil health
“The Placer, Amador, and El Dorado & Georgetown Divide Resource Conservation Districts are administering $4,000,000 in grant funding from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to fund a Healthy Soils Program for agricultural producers in the Central Sierra. This initiative aims to increase the implementation of conservation management practices that improve soil health, sequester carbon, and reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases. This funding will enable free technical and financial assistance to farmers and ranchers operating within Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne, and Alpine counties. … ” Continue reading at YubaNet.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Sacramento River’s water flow triples to manage late-season storms, future storage
“Residents living along the lower Sacramento River may have noticed that it’s rolling a little stronger. Water from Shasta Lake goes through the Shasta Dam and then into Keswick Lake. The water is then released from Keswick into the Sacramento. Recently, the release at Keswick has been bumped up. The release has roughly tripled from about 5,000 cubic-feet per second (CFS) to 15,000 CFS. The decision is not made locally, however, it’s part of an entire system of water storage and conveyance. … ” Read more from KRCR.
NAPA/SONOMA
Some flooding, road closures reported as showers scatter across North Bay; storm was ‘on par’ with predictions, Weather Service says
“Scattered showers continued Thursday morning after a day of continuous rain that left a few roads closed and downed few trees. As Thursday afternoon, most Sonoma County roads cordoned off due to flood waters had reopened, including Valley Ford Freestone Road between State Route 1 and Bodega Highway and Mark West Station Road near Starr Road, where fire officials performed a swift water rescue late Wednesday for a woman trapped in her vehicle. Highway 175, which flooded about 4 a.m., remained closed as of 11:40 a.m. The road flooded just after the Russian River peaked at 17.3 feet — about 2.3 feet above flood stage, according to the California Nevada River Forecast Center. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
BAY AREA
Bay Area rainfall totals: These areas were hit hardest by the storm
“The intense Bay Area storm that flooded San Francisco streets Wednesday night brought impressive rainfall totals to the city — but the rain fell heaviest in the coastal mountains to the north and south, according to the National Weather Service. The wettest place during the storm cycle in the greater Bay Area was Boulder Creek in Santa Cruz County, receiving nearly 5 inches of rainfall, while other weather stations across the Santa Cruz Mountains recorded about 4.5 inches, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Mehly. North of San Francisco, the Marin Headlands and the North Bay coastal mountains generally saw between 4 and 4.5 inches of rain, Mehly said. The Mount Tamalpais weather station clocked a 48-hour total of 4.1 inches, and Lagunitas-Forest Knolls reached an almost record 4.7 inches, he said. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
CENTRAL COAST
Santa Cruz County secures $850K grant for Big Basin Water Co. support
“The faucet of financial resources has finally loosened for hundreds of water customers in the Santa Cruz Mountains. A state agency recently awarded a $850,000 grant to Santa Cruz County that will be used to stabilize and repair the drinking water system at Big Basin Water Co. after years of supply, safety and reliability issues, according to a release from the county. “This funding is good news for Big Basin customers, but we still have a long way to go as we work together for permanent and positive change,” said Supervisor Bruce McPherson, who represents the Boulder Creek region, in the release. “I’d like to thank the state and members of our delegation who advocated for this grant, including Sen. John Laird and Assemblymember Gail Pellerin.” … ” Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Regulator receives testimony on Cal Am’s desal project
“A critical set of testimonies submitted last week will help a state regulator determine whether or not the Monterey Peninsula needs a desalination project to generate water supply over the next few decades, or whether the Pure Water Monterey Expansion project will get the job done. The Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, the Marina Coast Water District, the city of Marina and Monterey One Water and the operator of Pure Water Monterey all submitted evidence to the California Public Utilities Commission showing a desal plant will not be needed between now and 2050. But California American Water Co., which would own and operate the desal facility, argued in its testimony that demand will outstrip supply by mid-century. A testimony by Cal Am’s Christopher Cook, director of operations, focused on possible droughts depleting existing storage and causing a deficit in water supply. … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald.
Trickle-down toxin: SLO County sues PFAS chemical manufacturers to recoup costs of environmental damage, including water contamination near the regional airport
“San Luis Obispo County recently joined the steady stream of disgruntled groups across the nation attempting to hold major chemical companies responsible for allegedly contaminating their surroundings with toxic chemicals. Through a national, multi-district lawsuit filed in South Carolina federal court on Jan. 18, SLO County pointed its finger at a slew of big companies like 3M Company, Buckeye Fire Equipment Company, and Chemguard Inc. among others, accusing them of manufacturing and selling aqueous film-forming foam packed with a cocktail of acids. … ” Read more from New Times SLO.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Sierra snowpack is below average. What it means for water users in Stanislaus County
“After a slow start, Modesto’s rain now exceeds the average, but snow in its mountain watershed continues to lag. The Modesto Irrigation District has recorded 7.45 inches of rain at its downtown office as of 10 a.m. Thursday. Its water year starts July 1, but the storms happen mainly from November through March. MID has a historical average of 6.79 inches of rain by this point in winter. An average year brings a total of 12.17 inches. MID and nearby water suppliers rely mainly on the central Sierra Nevada snowpack. It was 52% of average as of Thursday, the California Department of Water Resources reported. … ” Continue reading at the Modesto Bee. | Read via Yahoo News.
Exeter digs into water solutions for Tooleville
“In another move towards consolidating Tooleville onto Exeter’s water systems, the city is now looking for some sites to dig into to get a test well up and running and, overall, address the unincorporated community’s long-standing water woes. According to Exeter City Manager Adam Ennis, the city is currently in the process of setting a date to drill a test well in preparation of establishing a long-term well for Tooleville. This is another necessary step towards making sure the permanent well – once it’s built – is safe and functional for Tooleville residents. As of right now, it is unclear where the test well will be drilled. … ” Continue reading at the Sun-Gazette.
All the farming gizmos, water info and fresh grilled steak a person could want coming to the gigantic World Ag Expo, Feb. 13-15
“World Ag Expo, known for row after row of shiny, colorful new tractors, will also feature a heavy dose of water-related products and seminars. They’re easy to get to if you don’t mind parking amidst a sea of white trucks spread over 120 acres, or traversing more than 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space while breathing in the delectable aroma of grilled ribeye steak. The 57th annual event is Feb. 13-15 at the International Agri-Center in Tulare. This year’s theme is “The Best Farm Show on Dirt.” Last year, more than 108,000 people from 49 states and 56 countries attended the show and at least as many people are expected this year. Products and presentations focused on water dominate the show for a simple reason – it is vital to farming. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Meteorologists urge Southern Californians to prepare for ‘life-threatening’ flood potential from new storm
“A second and more powerful atmospheric river-fueled storm is set to bring potentially life-threatening flooding across Southern California from Sunday into next week after an earlier storm already unleashed record rainfall in some parts of the region. The second atmospheric river set to hit California within days could begin lashing the state’s central and southern regions as early as late Saturday night and linger for several days. Forecasts show Southern California, including the greater Los Angeles area, is expected to bear the brunt of this storm, with the worst flooding expected to begin Sunday. … ” Read more from CNN.
Atmospheric river inundates roads, forces water rescues across SoCal. The next storm looks worse
“Heavy rain from a major atmospheric river storm moved across Southern California on Thursday, causing significant flooding and road closures — as well as several water rescues. Even before the storm system had moved on, however, officials were shifting attention to another one tracking not far behind, expected to bring even more intense and sustained precipitation. “There has been some flooding from today’s storm across parts of SoCal, especially in/near Long Beach, but the [next] system has *much greater* potential for more widespread and more serious flooding/debris flows,” Daniel Swain, a UCLA climate scientist and meteorologist, wrote in a post on X. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
SAN DIEGO
The City said cleaning a channel wasn’t a priority. Now their homes are devastated
“Nearly four months before last week’s downpour, managers of a 93-unit affordable-housing complex in Rolando asked the city to clean the canal alongside it. The city didn’t get to it until it was too late. Last week, water burst through fencing separating the channel from the Village Green Apartments and poured into dozens of apartments, leaving 57 families temporarily displaced. City crews on Monday finally cleared some brush from the area, including a large palm blocking a significant portion of the storm drain. It wasn’t clear whether the palm was there before the flooding devastated the apartment complex. … ” Read more from the Voice of San Diego.
Oceanside approves plan to build artificial headlands to restore and retain beach sand
“Oceanside’s City Council unanimously agreed Wednesday to proceed with a sand replenishment and retention project that includes pumping nearly a million cubic yards of sand from offshore deposits onto the beach and holding it there with two artificial headlands. The next steps for the “speed bumps” idea will be to complete the final engineering and design for a project to be shovel-ready in early 2026, said Jayme Timberlake, Oceanside’s coastal zone administrator, in a presentation to the council. The plan would need approval from the California Coastal Commission and other state, federal and local agencies, and the city would have to find grants to cover the construction costs expected to be between $30 million and $50 million. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune.
Tijuana River Valley seeing usual flooding, pollution during new round of storms
“After a major storm that wreaked havoc in the Tijuana River Valley last week, a new storm Thursday had less impact but still caused flooding in the area. Hollister Street, which runs north and south, was flooded and a tow truck could be seen pulling a car from the water. Crews from the city of San Diego were also on-site pumping water away from structures and several ranches that flooded last week. Smuggler’s Gulch, which turns into a roaring river during storms, was flowing, though not as hard as it did last week. As usual, however, it was carrying plastic bottles, trash, tires and even several suitcases. A strong odor in the area indicated the water in the gulch was also contaminated with raw sewage from Tijuana. … ” Read more from Fox 5.
South San Diego County delegation travels to Capitol Hill, makes case for funding to remedy sewage crisis
“A few doors down from Vice President Kamala Harris’ office, White House staffers learned Tuesday that the popular Silver Strand Half Marathon from Coronado to Imperial Beach had been discontinued because of the sewage crisis. “When you show them a map, and you show them where the Navy bases are, and you show them where the Tijuana River comes out, and then you show them the bacterial counts, they’re kind of like, ‘Whoa, I had no idea this was going on,’” said Coronado resident Laura Wilkinson Sinton. “It was one of those moments where we saw that people in other parts of the country are unaware of the sewage issue being as dire as it is,” she added. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Along the Colorado River …
America’s $232 billion lithium industry could drain billions of gallons of water from Colorado River and residential wells because Civil War-era law doesn’t limit how much mines can use
“America’s lithium boom is underway with 72 proposed mines in the nation, but a new report has revealed that the ‘white gold rush’ could cause a water crisis in the US. A team of students at Arizona State University conducted a ‘groundbreaking’ investigation that found a majority of the operators plan to pull water from already stressed sources like the Colorado River. Most of the mines, located in the western region, will need billions of gallons of water to operate at a time when the region is experiencing the worst mega-drought in 1,200 years. The only mine in operation, Silver Peak, has drained four billion gallons of water a year in Nevada since 2020 and scientists determined ‘underground water sources are dwindling and even disappearing altogether.’ … ” Read more from the Daily Mail.
In national water news today …
The EPA is proposing that ‘forever chemicals’ be considered hazardous substances
“The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing that nine PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” be categorized as hazardous to human health. The EPA signed a proposal Wednesday that would deem the chemicals “hazardous constituents” under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. For the agency to consider a substance a hazardous constituent, it has to be toxic or cause cancer, genetic mutation or the malformations of an embryo. … ” Read more from NPR.
Environmentalists add to complaint against feds over harmful pesticide use
“The Center for Biological Diversity on Thursday expanded a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over the use of pesticides that harm endangered species and critical habitats, raising the number of pesticides it’s suing over from two to six. Fish and Wildlife began consultation over two pesticides, chlorpyrifos and diazinon, in 2017. But by 2022, it still hadn’t issued a final biological opinion on the effects the two pesticides might have on endangered species and critical habitats across the country. The Environmental Protection Agency determined that same year that the pesticides in question have harmful effects on wildlife, but Fish and Wildlife went five years without an answer. So, the Center for Biological Diversity sued Fish and Wildlife in 2022 for dragging its feet. Fish and Wildlife denied the accusations in court. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
Keeping score: The groundhog vs. the temperature record, 2024
“In Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania, at the crack of dawn this morning, the nation’s most famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow — meaning an early spring, according to longstanding folklore. In 2023, Phil “predicted” a longer winter and shorter spring when official observers declared he did see his shadow. But did he get it right? … ” Continue reading at NOAA.
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