A wrap-up of posts published on Maven’s Notebook this week …
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In California water news this week …
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).
Second snow survey of the year shows modest improvement for snowpack, conditions remain below average
“The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today conducted the second snow survey of the season at Phillips Station. The manual survey recorded 29 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 10 inches, which is 58 percent of average for this location. The snow water equivalent measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack and is a key component of DWR’s water supply forecast. Today’s results reflect a modest increase in the snowpack since January 1, but overall conditions are still far below normal. DWR’s electronic readings from 130 stations placed throughout the state indicate that the statewide snowpack’s snow water equivalent is 8.4 inches, or 52 percent of average for this date, an improvement from just 28 percent of average on January 1. One year ago, the snowpack statewide was 214 percent of average on February 1. … ” Read more from the Department of Water Resources.
Saving salmon: Newsom unveils blueprint for ending decades-long decline
“With salmon populations throughout California declining for decades and facing the threat of extinction, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday unveiled a state strategy aimed at protecting and restoring the iconic species “amidst hotter and drier weather exacerbated by climate change.” The blueprint calls for tearing down dams and improving passages for migrating salmon, restoring flows in key waterways, modernizing hatcheries to raise fish and taking other steps to help Chinook, coho, steelhead and other migrating fish. “We’re doubling down to make sure this species not only adapts in the face of extreme weather but remains a fixture of California’s natural beauty and ecosystems for generations to come,” Newsom said in a statement. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
Governor promotes salmon ‘restoration plan’ without science-based water flows
Dan Bacher writes, “As he continues to push the salmon-killing Delta Tunnel, Sites Reservoir and voluntary water agreements, Governor Gavin Newsom, with no sense of irony today, announced new actions and efforts “already underway that California is taking to help restore California’s salmon populations.” “After 10 years of rapidly intensifying drought and more extreme weather, salmon are not doing well,” according to a statement from Newsom’s Office. “Last year, with projections showing Chinook salmon population at historic lows, the salmon season was closed and the Newsom Administration requested a Federal Fishery Disaster to support impacted communities. Additionally, due to crashing salmon populations in 2023, some tribes canceled their religious and cultural harvests for the first time ever.” … ” Read more from Dan Bacher at the Daily Kos.
Gov. Newsom backs dam removal projects to boost salmon. Critics say that’s not enough
“California Gov. Gavin Newsom is pledging to fast-track more than half a dozen projects by the end of his term to remove or bypass dams that have blocked salmon from returning to the state’s chilly mountain streams and acting as the keystone of a complex ecosystem that sustains both economies and spiritual beliefs for tribes. … His proposal did little to satisfy critics, with the Golden State Salmon Association calling it “smoke and mirrors” that will do little to give fish what they really need — more water in the state’s rivers. That criticism was shared by environmental groups who have opposed Newsom’s effort to seek voluntary agreements with major farmers over how much water they can take from rivers and streams. Newsom’s salmon proposal still includes support for those agreements. … ” Read more from the Associated Press.
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.
Ramping up releases of hatchery Delta smelt to the wild
“It’s a lovely December morning in Rio Vista, a town of 10,000 in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The sky is a soft blue, the sun brings welcome warmth against the chill, and the water is calm with just a hint of ripples―ideal conditions for the team of state and federal biologists standing on a boat launch on the Sacramento River at 8:30 am. They’re here to release captive-raised Delta smelt, a small endangered fish unique to the region, into the wild. The clock on the release began ticking at 7 am. That’s when another crew started loading the smelt into insulated cylindrical drums called carboys at the Fish Conservation and Culture Laboratory, a conservation hatchery about 30 miles south near the town of Byron. The hatchery, operated by the University of California, Davis, has maintained a genetically-diverse captive population of these imperiled fish since 2007. … ” Read more at Maven’s Notebook.
The Yuba Watershed and the Bay-Delta Plan: Interlinked plumbing and management
“Salmon were once prolific in the Yuba watershed and the Sacramento River Basin. Historically, over 300,000 would return in the fall to spawn in the Yuba. But due to large dams blocking historical habitat, modification of river hydrology, and the lasting impacts of the Gold Rush, salmon and the Bay-Delta are on the brink of collapse. And there are no easy solutions. The water that is crucial to these ecosystems also grows the food we eat and powers our homes. In response to the precipitous decline of native fisheries, the State of California is looking at solutions to restore some of the freshwater flows that the Delta and fish need. This process is commonly referred to as updating the Bay-Delta Plan. The current focus is on the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River, including the Yuba River. The Yuba to the Bay-Delta connection is critical for Yuba salmon because they depend on both ecosystems to survive. … ” Read more from the South Yuba River Citizens League.
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.
Checking up on Montezuma Wetlands: Mud on the rise
Mary K. Miller writes, “The drive down Fire Truck Road to the Montezuma Wetlands Project, where the Delta and Suisun Bay converge with the Sacramento and the San Joaquin rivers, feels out of place from much of the Bay Area, sparsely dotted as it is with farms, cattle and wind turbines rather than housing tracts. Stopping for a closer look, I see that part of this desolate grassland 20 miles from the city of Fairfield is undergoing a radical transformation. Adjacent to Fire Truck Road is low marsh with intertidal channels and ponds surrounded by tall swaths of tule, cattails and bulrush, while towards the foothills grow clumps of salt grass and pickleweed in high marsh. What took tens of thousands of years for nature to build–the foundation of an ecosystem that is almost equal parts water and muddy ground–took two decades to recreate using a bit of ingenuity, a good business plan and a lot of sediment. … ” Read more from Maven’s Notebook.
Story Map: California’s untapped stormwater capture potential
“When rain falls in natural environments like the forest, rainwater infiltrates down through the soil layers, eventually traveling into groundwater aquifers to replenish groundwater supplies. Excess rainwater that cannot be infiltrated through the soil flows over the land surface as stormwater runoff. This stormwater runoff flows untreated to streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, and finally to the oceans . When it rains in urban environments, impervious surfaces like sidewalks, parking lots, and streets prevent stormwater from infiltrating into the soil. The rain turns into urban stormwater runoff that flows over the impervious surfaces in the cityscape into storm sewer systems. The storm sewer systems then drain into natural water bodies such as streams, rivers, lakes, bays, and oceans. … ” Read this story map from the State Water Resources Control Board.
Permeable pavements could reduce coho-killing tire pollutants
“The pore-like structure of permeable pavements may help protect coho salmon by preventing tire wear particles and related contaminants from entering stormwater runoff, according to a Washington State University study. Researchers demonstrated that four types of permeable pavements can act as giant filters, retaining more than 96% of applied tire particle mass. They also captured several tire-associated chemicals, resulting in a 68% average reduction of 6PPD-quinone, a contaminant shown to kill coho salmon in urban streams. The study findings were published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. … ” Read more from Washington State University.
WATER STORAGE INVESTMENT PGM: Commissioners discuss what to do if a project is not progressing
“At the January meeting of the California Water Commission, commissioners discussed what discretion the Commission has if a project selected for the Water Storage Investment Program is making insufficient progress toward completing the program’s statutory requirements. Proposition 1 of 2014 dedicated $2.7 billion for investments in water storage projects, which the California Water Commission administers through the Water Storage Investment Program (WSIP). Seven water storage projects were selected and must complete the remaining requirements, including final permits, environmental documents, contracts for the administration of public benefits, and commitments for the remaining project costs. Holly Stout, legal counsel for the Commission, said there isn’t a process or procedure for taking action if a project is not making sufficient progress; the Commission has the latitude to do what it wants in collaboration with everyone on the Commission. … ” Continue reading from Maven’s Notebook.
How to baffle a beaver: A simple trick turns destructive urban pests into valuable ecosystem engineers
“When the first beaver returned to Vancouver’s Stanley Park’s Beaver Lake after a 60 year absence, no one knew where it came from. Some thought it followed streams in from the Fraser Valley, others suggested it dodged freighters and fought Burrard Inlet’s strong currents, swimming from North Vancouver’s Capilano watershed. But far from being thrilled with the return of the lake’s namesake, park officials at Vancouver’s 1,001 acre, forested jewel were dismayed. In cities all over North America—New York, Seattle, Montreal, and others—the return of the aquatic rodents had wreaked havoc on landscapes as they toppled trees, flooded trails and roads, and damaged infrastructure. Many cities’ initial solution was to trap the pioneering beavers and remove their dam debris. But wildlife managers discovered that beavers are persistent; despite dismantled dams and trapped beavers, new animals just kept showing up. Then, like the person who built a better mousetrap, a guy came up with a way to baffle the beavers into better behavior—which not only led to a truce, but also a healthier eco-system. … ” Continue reading at Sierra Magazine.
Tesla sued by California counties over hazardous waste
“A group of 25 California counties have sued Elon Musk’s Tesla, claiming the electric vehicle maker mishandled hazardous waste at its facilities across the state. The lawsuit from Los Angeles, Alameda, San Joaquin, San Francisco and other counties was filed on Tuesday in California state court. It seeks civil penalties and an injunction that would require the company to properly handle its waste in the future. The counties accused Tesla of violating state unfair business and hazardous waste management laws by improperly labeling waste and sending the materials to landfills that cannot accept hazardous material. California’s hazardous waste management law carries potential civil penalties as high as $70,000 per violation per day. … ” Read more from Reuters.
In commentary this week …
Comparing the Delta Tunnel versus desalination
Edward Ring, senior fellow with the California Policy Center, writes, “Debates over the efficacy of water projects often focus on the monthly cost to end users. For example, in May 2022, a few days before the California Coastal Commission voted unanimously to deny the final permit to build a desalination plant in Huntington Beach, the influential Los Angeles Times columnist Michael Hiltzik fretted that it “might drive up the average household water bill in Orange County by $3 to $6 per month.” Is that all? People of all incomes spend that much money every week buying cases of bottled water, or, for that matter, $3 will get you one-half of a Big Mac burger. Up to $6 a month is a manageable cost, and in any case water districts have programs to alleviate these costs for qualifying low income households. One of the biggest concerns about desalination projects is the financial cost to build them. Another frequently heard criticism is that they use too much energy. But as with all things, the relevant question is compared to what? … ” Continue reading at the California Globe.
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.
This Sierra river needs more water for salmon. San Francisco wants to give it gravel
Peter Drekmeier, policy director for the Tuolumne River Trust, writes, “Nature designed the Tuolumne River to be a fast-moving, cold river. Dams and diversions have turned it into a slow-moving, warm stream. Its operators are trying to solve the problem with physical changes to help native fish. That won’t work if the river also doesn’t get some of its water back. The Modesto and Turlock Irrigation Districts, along with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, recently announced a plan to invest $80 million to restore fish habitat in the river. Unfortunately, a critical issue remains: More water to make the habitat work. Without this, the Tuolumne River’s beleaguered salmon population will not recover. … ” Continue reading from Yahoo Opinion.
It’s easy to criticize California water conservation. It’s a lot harder to offer solutions
Dr. Mark Gold, the director of water scarcity solutions at the Natural Resources Defense Council, writes, “A recent criticism of the State Water Resources Control Board’s proposed regulations for urban water conservation was wildly misplaced. Urban water is valuable because it must be treated to the highest standards, delivered to millions of locations and available daily. The proposed conservation regulations will achieve greater water savings than the city of Los Angeles uses annually. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
Commentary: The Clear Lake hitch, and the Tribes that depend on them, face continuing threats
Jeanine Pfeiffer and Ron Montez Sr. write, “One year after California state and Lake County leaders declared an emergency for the endangered Clear Lake Hitch (known as “chi” to local Pomo Tribes), more than a dozen agencies are collaborating in an all-hands-on-deck approach to save this culturally important fish, one intertwined with our destiny as Tribal peoples. For millennia, abundant spring spawning runs of chi filled 14 tributaries feeding North America’s most ancient lake. Thousands of Tribal members gathered at Clear Lake to communally hand-harvest and process chi into fish jerky that provided year-long sustenance. Following successive genocides of Tribal communities, countless generations of sustainable fish harvests were erased by five generations of environmental damage: water diversions, invasive species introductions, and habitat destruction. Within our lifetimes, the chi spawning runs diminished to only six streams, and throughout the recent drought, we didn’t witness a single run. … ” Read more from Civil Eats.
Climate change flooding irony: Manteca, Lathrop taking real action; SF & LA aren’t
Dennis Wyatt, editor of the Manteca Bulletin, writes, “The official motto of the California Legislature majority is “do as I say and not as I do.” And by majority it isn’t the Democrats per se. Rather, it is the elected legislators that represent the coastal urban areas where most of California’s population resides and constitute more than two-thirds of the votes in Sacramento. There is no dispute that climate change is the big driver of initiatives coming out of the State Capitol. Yet, there is no looming mandate banning new construction of any type — from the foundation up or adding on to homes, retail concerns, employment centers and such — hanging over Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland when it comes to flooding predicted from climate change. There is on large swaths of the San Joaquin Valley and the Sacramento Valley. … ” Continue reading at the Manteca Bulletin.
Agricultural water users weathering California’s regulatory storms
Attorney Wes Miliband with Stoel Rives writes, “As a water resources lawyer based in Sacramento, Calif., I see evolving regulatory processes intersecting with access and reliability of surface water and groundwater supplies. Despite complications to water users around the state, proactive efforts seeking creative solutions allows for growers and food processors to achieve their goals without having to become entangled in disputes or litigation. For surface water supplies, two key processes are underway by the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board or SWB) which both implicate water availability throughout the State of California. … ” Continue reading at Farm Progress.
Want farmers to protect the environment? Tie their subsidies to conservation
Tom Philpott writes, “Like a reveler who chases each of many tequila shots with a seltzer, U.S. farm policy consists of comically clashing impulses likely to result in a nasty hangover. The Department of Agriculture doles out substantial subsidies each year to entice farmers to maximize production of corn and soybeans. These commodities account for about 60 percent of U.S. farmland, are used to fatten animals on factory farms, and deliver many of the sugars and fats in our ultraprocessed diets. Unsavory side effects of their production include planet-warming emissions, soil erosion, and polluted waterways. Since 1985, the USDA has also offered farmers cash to adopt conservation practices meant to help counter those troublesome impacts. Growers can make extra money by adding soil-stabilizing crops such as rye and oats to their rotations or by establishing filter strips of grasses or legumes, which are designed to trap chemical runoff. The catch is that a large amount of federal money—about $14 billion per year on average between 1995 and 2021—goes toward promoting commodity crops, compared with just $1.8 billion for conservation. … ” Continue reading at the Food & Environment Network.
Pair of commentaries from Pacifica shows how the complexities of adapting to sea level rise are playing out on the ground
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- The Coastal Commission ‘tax’ all Pacificans pay: Mark Stechbart, a Pacifica homeowner, writes, “The California Coastal Commission has it out for Pacifica. The Coastal Commission supports a bureaucratic solution to sea level rise known as “managed retreat” whereby the ocean is allowed unrestricted erosion east. Give up. This is bad news for long and narrow towns like Pacifica where even 10 feet of erosion can hit extremely expensive infrastructure or a house, hotel or affordable apartments. … ” Read this commentary at the Pacifica Tribune.
- Consider real cost and don’t vilify Coastal Commission: Samuel Casillas. a Pacifica resident, writes, “The organized disinformation campaign against the California Coastal Commission has Pacifica on a reckless and costly path due to many misguided individuals and lobbying groups having mischaracterized what the Coastal Commission can and cannot do through its capacity to enforce the California Coastal Act. … ” Read this commentary at the Pacifica Tribune.
- The Coastal Commission ‘tax’ all Pacificans pay: Mark Stechbart, a Pacifica homeowner, writes, “The California Coastal Commission has it out for Pacifica. The Coastal Commission supports a bureaucratic solution to sea level rise known as “managed retreat” whereby the ocean is allowed unrestricted erosion east. Give up. This is bad news for long and narrow towns like Pacifica where even 10 feet of erosion can hit extremely expensive infrastructure or a house, hotel or affordable apartments. … ” Read this commentary at the Pacifica Tribune.
As climate changes, we’re all headed downhill to Death Valley
Columnist Joe Mathews writes, “If the world really is going to hell, please get your brakes checked. The ride will be very downhill. I learned that lesson, among others, after my own brakes smoked while descending down, down Highway 190 into California’s answer to the underworld — Death Valley. I did not run into the Devil on this Death Valley visit. But I did enjoy the otherworldly vistas of mountains, deserts, and salt flats in locations like Dante’s View, Hell’s Gate and the Amargosa Chaos. Despite such sights, Death Valley attracts just over 1 million visitors annually, one-third as many as cram into Yosemite each year. This relatively lower visitor number is healthier for the sensitive desert ecosystems. But Death Valley deserves Yosemite-level respect, and not just for its 130-plus temperatures or the damage that a drive to the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere can do to your car. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
Mitigating the climate adaptation gap
Columnist John Sabo writes, “The beginning of a new year is an opportunity to reflect on the past to inform goals for improvement. From observing “dry January” to New Year’s resolutions to exercise more and eat better, this is the season of good intentions. Just like those individual declarations to live healthier are interconnected, so too are the issues of climate change mitigation and adaptation. Hitting the gym every day is great, but weight training is only part of a more comprehensive and sustainable fitness strategy that also includes diet. We absolutely must stop burning fossil fuels, but we must also deal with the existing and mounting consequences of global warming that are happening right now. There is so much carbon to mitigate that we simply don’t have the time or capital to address the impacts. This is the “adaptation gap.” … ” Read more from Forbes.
In regional water news this week …
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.
Waterfowl flock again to valley rice fields
“The return of fully planted rice crops to the Sacramento Valley following years of drought has restored another essential feature of the region. After harvest, reservoirs replenished by last year’s historic storms enabled farmers to flood more of their fields this winter, creating wetland habitat for migrating waterfowl. Right now, “You can’t drive down the road without seeing thousands of geese,” said Kim Gallagher, who grows rice along Highway 45 in Yolo and Colusa counties and participates in government-funded programs that incentivize rice farmers to flood their fields in the winter for wildlife conservation. Birds migrating along the Pacific Flyway have stopped in the Central Valley for centuries, resting and refueling for their journey north in the spring. But since the Gold Rush, California has lost 95% of its wetlands to development. … ” Continue reading at Ag Alert.
Oakland’s creeks once flowed free from the hills to the Bay. What’s their future?
“It’s hard to tell now, but Oakland used to be flush with creeks. Glimmering streams running down rolling hills to meet the crisp waters of the San Francisco Bay flourished during the East Bay’s not-too-distant past. On the land that became Oakland, around 15 major creeks emptied into the Bay, and over 30 smaller tributaries fed these streams from the hills. Filled with native fish, thriving plant life, and rich soils, the creeks of the East Bay defined the area’s ecological and hydrogeological history. For as long as humans have inhabited the Bay Area, creeks have been a vital life source, providing drinking water and food. … ” Read more from Oaklandside.
Alameda takes first step to use millions of gallons of recycled wastewater
“The city of Alameda is hoping to bring in millions of gallons of recycled wastewater from a treatment plant in Oakland to use for irrigation and industrial purposes — and to avoid wasting drinking water. The plan is to repurpose a currently unused water pipeline under the Oakland Estuary to transport treated and recycled wastewater. Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft spoke at a ceremony Friday, where officials from the East Bay Municipal Utility District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed an agreement to fund the planning and design phase of the project. “The recycled water traveling through this recycled pipeline will help reduce pollution in San Francisco Bay, ensure greater drought and climate resiliency, reduce the use of drinking water for irrigation and industrial uses and improve our emergency preparedness,” Ashcraft said. … ” Read more from KQED.
Judge leans toward dismissing some – but not key – actions in ongoing Kern River lawsuit
“Kern County Superior Court Judge Gregory Pulskamp let the battalion of attorneys in court Wednesday know he was inclined to drop at least one cause of action in the ongoing lawsuit brought by several public interest groups against the City of Bakersfield for dewatering the Kern River. But he likely won’t dismiss one of the lawsuit’s key claims – that Bakersfield has a duty to protect the river under the Public Trust Doctrine. Judge Pulskamp said he would likely dismiss a claim in the lawsuit that Bakersfield breeched its duties under a natural resources code and he was “on the fence” with regard to dismissing a claim by plaintiffs that dewatering the river had created a public nuisance that caused the plaintiffs special harm. … ” … ” Continue reading from SJV Water.
