On the calendar today …
- WORKSHOP: Central Valley Flood Protection Board beginning at 10am. The Board adopted the 2022 Central Valley Flood Protection Plan Update (Plan) through Resolution of Adoption 2022-29 (Resolution) on December 16, 2022. Through adoption of the Resolution, the Board identified known and achievable goals that will contribute to the goals of the Plan. At the Board’s June 9, 2023, workshop, staff proposed five themes to categorize the Board’s Resolution goals. The five themes are Implementation, Climate Resilience, Funding, Operations, and Strategic Planning. The February 2024 Workshop theme is Funding, which includes nine Resolution goals. The February Workshop is focused on communicating the importance of funding the actions called for in the Plan from various sources, and obtaining State, federal, and local perspectives on funding challenges and opportunities, as well as the importance of productive partnerships within and between State, federal, and local interested parties. Click here for workshop agenda and remote access instructions.
In California water news today …
How much did this week’s storms help California’s water supply?
“The historic and destructive storms that ravaged California this week have significantly boosted the state’s snowpack and water year outlook after a relatively dry start to the season, state water managers say. Some areas of Los Angeles County received more than a foot of rain over the past five days, while snowfall totals in the Sierra Nevada mountains surpassed two feet in some locations. This abrupt and dramatic change in California’s weather is being welcomed by the state’s Department of Water Resources with a caveat: despite the onslaught, these storms have merely helped the Golden State play catch up. … ” Read more from KTLA.
SEE ALSO: Here’s where California reservoir levels stand after this week’s storms, from the San Francisco Chronicle
California weather takes break from storms, but here’s when rain could return
“California was hammered by storms at the outset of February, pushing San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego ahead of normal winter precipitation levels. But the Golden State is expected to take a breather from the wet weather for at least the next five days. Californians should use the weekend to recoup and clean up, because another period of wet weather is looking increasingly likely heading into Presidents Day weekend. … next week, the jet stream is expected to strengthen yet again over California, marking a return of a stormy pattern. … ” Read the full story from the San Francisco Chronicle.
SEE ALSO: California faces more heavy rain mid-February: Weather watch, from Bloomberg
El Niño’s end may be near. Here’s what’s coming next.
“Signs of a historically strong El Niño global climate pattern became obvious in recent weeks — including deadly fires in South America and deluges in California. Yet scientists are now predicting that the regime could disappear within months. Forecasters at the National Weather Service issued a La Niña watch Thursday, projecting that there is about a 55 percent chance that this pattern — which is the opposite of El Niño — will develop by August. The development of La Niña would have major consequences for weather in the United States and around the world. It could also temporarily slow the rapid global warming that began about nine months ago, when El Niño first took hold. La Niña is known for encouraging active and destructive Atlantic hurricane seasons, as well as promoting dry conditions for Southern California and the Southwest. … ” Read more from the Washington Post.
La Nina watch issued: What it means for the US
“El Niño has been shaping the weather across North America all winter, but the tides are changing, and a major shift is on the horizon. On Thursday, NOAA issued a La Niña watch, explaining that it could replace El Niño before the end of summer. This could have implications for the impending Atlantic hurricane season and beyond. Back in December, AccuWeather’s team of long-range forecasters began to see signs that La Niña may return during the second half of 2024. “The AccuWeather Long-Range team is forecasting a quick weakening of El Niño this spring,” AccuWeather Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok said. “Through our research and climatology, La Niña could develop late summer or early fall 2024.” … ” Read more from AccuWeather.
SEE ALSO:
- The Odds of a Hurricane-Boosting La Niña This Year Are Rising, from Bloomberg
- After a Long Stretch of Record Heat, El Niño Begins to Wane, from Yale e360
How California’s storms are projected to become more extreme with climate change
“For as long as weather records have been kept, California has been defined by its highly variable climate, with dramatic and sometimes volatile swings between droughts and floods. As human-caused climate change heats up the planet, the state faces even more intense extremes, with increasingly frequent and severe droughts punctuated by stronger and wetter storms. The disruption of the Earth’s climate is upending the water cycle, influencing weather patterns and affecting the storms that bring rain and snow to the western United States. As rising temperatures, driven by fossil fuel-burning and accumulating greenhouse gases, continue to heat the atmosphere and oceans, the storms that build over the Pacific and reach California are projected to change in ways that will have major implications for generations to come. Here’s a look at how humanity’s heating of the planet affects California’s storms, and what scientists say about these shifts and what they will mean. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Atmospheric rivers are battering California. Why don’t residents have flood insurance?
“Though it is internationally known for its catastrophic wildfires and earthquakes, California is no stranger to floods — particularly during the heavy rains that accompany its winters. In fact, 7 million Californians live in flood-prone areas. Despite this, just one in four Golden State homes sitting in what the federal government considers a flood hazard zone are covered by flood insurance. That gap spells trouble for thousands of homeowners in Southern California, which has been battered by a series of storms over the last week. The torrential rain and wind are the result of what’s called an atmospheric river, a channel of moisture that can be up to 375 miles wide and carry the equivalent of two Amazon Rivers’ worth of water. Downed trees and mudslides that resulted from the downpour killed nine people, and half a million homes and businesses went without power across the state in recent weeks. … ” Read more from Grist.
USGS supports effort to understand impacts on water quality caused by 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise
“During November 2018, the Camp Fire burned more than 150,000 acres in Butte County, California, including the Town of Paradise. The fire was the deadliest and most destructive in California history, causing at least 85 fatalities and destroying more than 18,000 structures. In the fire’s aftermath, understanding of the impact on connected ecosystems, including the regional watershed, will inform how we may prepare for and respond to fire events in the future. This was prime focus of a multi-year research effort led by faculty at Chico State University and supported by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder, the USGS, and other research institutions. The impacts of the Camp Fire are of particular interest because of its location at the wildland-urban interface. … ” Read more from the USGS.
SEE ALSO: Research in the Aftermath of the Camp Fire Reveals the Threat of Wildfires on Water Quality, from Chico State Today
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Klamath National Forest says snowpack depth and density are below average
“The U.S. Forest Service says today the Klamath National Forest’s snowpack is starting this year at a level below historic averages. The Forest Service (USFS) says the Klamath National Forest KNF) has completed its Feb. 1 snow survey to help California forecast water available for agriculture, power generation recreation and stream flow releases during the year. KNF says January began with “a nice accumulation of snow,” but warmer weather mid-month, including rain at higher elevations, brought depleting snow conditions similar to March or April. It says a late-January atmospheric river added snow to mountains around the Scott River Valley, with most significant additions at higher elevations. … ” Read more from Channel 12.
Legal brief: Klamath Tribes prevail
“A federal court in Oregon adopted a magistrate’s recommendations to side with the Klamath Tribes in their dispute with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation over water supplies. The agency violated the Endangered Species Act by misallocating Upper Klamath Lake’s limited water supplies, harming endangered sucker fish and other aquatic wildlife.” Read the brief here. Read related coverage here.
Lake County: Water board, Farm Bureau explain how to respond to state water information order
“A certified letter from the State Water Resources Control Board that’s been arriving in the mailboxes of thousands of Lake County residents this month has caused concern and consternation, but officials with the water board and the Lake County Farm Bureau offered guidance on how to meet the requirements. The letter, dated Jan. 31, is the result of a regulation the State Water Resources Control Board approved in December that allows it to ask for information from a large area around Lake County, said Jessica Bean, assistant deputy for drought and water rights modernization in the Water Board’s Division of Water Rights. … ” Read more from the Lake County News.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Unlocking the future of Yuba River salmon: Advocating for restoration through relicensing
“On January 16th, the South Yuba River Citizens League and our allies in the Foothills Water Network filed comments with the Federal Energy Commission (FERC) requesting formal studies to help restore salmon in the lower Yuba River. Our comments also focused on the YWA’s Final License Application for the project and are part of the relicensing of the Narrows 1 Project located on the lower Yuba River. The Federal Energy Commission (FERC) is charged with the licensing of non-federal hydroelectric dams. These legally binding licenses compel (or require) dam operators to meet certain conditions on the river and may include additional conditions such as recreational access, minimum river flows, and monitoring fish. Many of our dams were built before modern environmental laws, and the license conditions at that time did not consider native fisheries, recreational uses, or the negative impacts associated with dam operations. As these licenses were issued for 40-50 year lifespans, many of the hydro projects in the Yuba watershed are still operating under licenses and conditions that were developed when the dam was built. … ” Read more from the South Yuba River Citizens League.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Significant amount of sewage spills into Sacramento River, Clear Creek after power outage
“A “significant volume” of untreated sewage spilled into Clear Creek and the Sacramento River on Sunday after a power outage caused pumps at the city of Redding’s nearby sewage plant to shut down, officials said Thursday. A storm with high winds knocked out power in the area of the Clear Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in south Redding after 11 p.m. Sunday night, city officials said. A back-up generator kicked on after the power went out, but a safety device on the pumps kept them from turning on. A wastewater treatment plant employee went to the plant and manually turned the pumps back on about 30 minutes later, officials said. … ” Read more from the Redding Record Searchlight.
Glenn County RCD offering irrigation, energy efficiency grants
“The Glenn County Resource Conservation District is offering $4 million in grant funds available to Glenn County farmers and ranchers through the Block Grant Pilot Program of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Office of Environmental Farming and Innovations State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP). This first-of-its-kind SWEEP-Glenn County is a competitive grant program implemented to incentivize farmers to invest in irrigation water and energy efficiency in an effort to reduce water usage and greenhouse gas emissions. Eligible applicants can apply for up to $200,000. … ” Read more from the Appeal Democrat.
Sacramento’s urban infrastructure, with an abundance of trees, poses challenges during storms
“Sacramento, known for its green tree-filled urban landscape, faces unique challenges in intense weather, like the recent atmospheric river that swept through Northern California last Sunday. The convergence of high winds with large trees poses significant risks to people and urban infrastructure. In the aftermath of the recent atmospheric river storm, widespread power outages affected some 200,000 Sacramento Municipal Utility District customers. The storm, characterized by heavy rain in the Sacramento Valley, snow at higher elevations and winds reaching up to 65 mph, dealt a significant blow to the region’s power infrastructure. Power restoration was complicated by dangerous conditions for utility crews caused by the high winds, falling trees and unsafe road conditions. According to Sacramento Municipal Utility District spokesperson Gamaliel Ortiz, vegetation-related issues were the primary reason for the recent outages. … ” Read more from Capital Public Radio.
BAY AREA
Guest Opinion: Tri-Valley’s future water depends on modernizing the State Water Project
James Cooper, President and CEO of the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce, writes, “The Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce is a “champion for a stronger and healthier community,” which includes preparing Pleasanton for future challenges. We take pride in helping Pleasanton remain among the very best cities in the country in which to live, work and raise a family. A strong local economy is critical for this effort to succeed, and our water is a key piece. We need a reliable and clean water supply for our homes, businesses and community. However, due to the challenges associated with climate change, the reliability of our water supply system is less certain in the future. … ” Read more froPleasanton Weekly.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
More farmland out of production
“Farmers used to complain that the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) — the law that limits groundwater pumping in California — would cut food production for the world. Turns out California farmers produce too much fruit and nuts already and over-planting is a key factor in hurting profitability down on the farm. Now some state ag leaders are urging growers to remove trees and vines to try to right size their industry after prices for tree nuts, table and wine grapes, raisins and some tree fruit have plunged in the past few years. Water, or lack of it, has been key factor in farm acreage reduction. Then there is increasingly volatile weather impacting production including the flooding of farmland and damage to conveyance infrastructure in these parts. How about the trend to higher temps? … ” Read more from the Hanford Sentinel.
EASTERN SIERRA
Court of Appeals rules in favor of IWVGA in fee challenge brought by desert pistachio grower
“In a groundbreaking published opinion described as having “great public importance” that could “impact thousands of water users throughout the state for years to come,” the California Court of Appeals denied a request to avoid paying a fee needed to preserve groundwater resources brought by a farmer that used the water to grow pistachio trees in an arid desert. The court also barred any claims for damages associated with the imposition of the fee and questioned the farmer’s right to use water in such a seemingly frivolous manner. The dispute arose based on a replenishment fee adopted by the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority (IWVGA). … ” Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent.
SEE ALSO: Landmark Ruling Upholds Groundwater Fee in California Water Rights Case, from BNN Breaking
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Southern California is finally starting to dry out. The next storm may come in 9 days
“After five days of drenching rain and heavy snow, primarily driven by a relentless atmospheric river storm that caused widespread flooding, mudslides and power outages, Southern California should finally start to dry out. “For the next week or so, it looks like it’s dry,” Mike Wofford, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oxnard, said Thursday. Sunshine is even in the forecast for Friday, and a “slow warming trend” should kick into gear early next week, forecasters said. It will give the Southland some time to focus on recovery from the devastating storm that caused more than 500 mudslides in the city of Los Angeles — and even more throughout the county and region — and severely damaged more than 45 homes or buildings, flooded countless roads and forced dozens of evacuations. Statewide, officials have confirmed nine people died in the storm. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Monster storm triggered hundreds of mudslides across Los Angeles. Why do they happen?
“Steven Golightly woke up Monday morning and walked down his street in Beverly Crest to find a mudslide had entombed two of his neighbor’s cars. The 71-year-old, who lives on North Beverly Drive, had spotted a social media post online about the mudslide but wanted to see it in person. “It was a mess,” he said. “I can’t imagine waking up to that being in my home.” Thousands of Southern Californians confronted similar scenes this week, as the monster storm that hammered Southern California triggered hundreds of mudslides across the region. The city of Los Angeles alone saw 562 mudslides and 15 homes red-tagged as of Wednesday evening, according to Mayor Karen Bass’ office. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Los Angeles is probably too good at preventing big floods
“For the past few days, Southern Californians have found themselves living with a kind of weather one doesn’t typically associate with the region: rain. Days of rain. The kind of rain that, in the worst cases, causes flooding and landslides, and in the best cases enforces a kind of unwilling solitude. (A friend in the Los Angeles area recently sent me a video of her German Shepherd, yowling discontentedly at the falling water.) One gauge at the University of California, Los Angeles recorded more than a foot of rain in 24 hours, making it what the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration calls a “thousand-year” rainfall event. The cause is a slow-moving atmospheric river that has essentially parked itself over the region. … ” Read more from Yahoo News.
King tides swamp the coast, gives glimpse at future sea level rise
“Mega high tides known as king tides are hitting beaches Friday, giving a glimpse at what future sea level rise could mean for coastal towns and shorelines across California. The California King Tides Project is asking for people to document the coast for a citizen-science project that aims to give decision-makers a look at how to address sea-level rise in future years. Many beaches will be swallowed by salt water in the early-morning hours Friday, Feb. 9, with tides reaching 6.6 feet high at about 8 a.m. The phrase king tides is used to describe very high tides, caused when there is alignment of the gravitational pull between the sun, moon and Earth. They are predictable and happen a few times of year, allowing documentation of vulnerable areas impacted by high sea levels, officials with The California King Tides Project say. … ” Read more from the OC Register.
1 million Southern California homes have long-term flash flood risk
“February’s soaking from twin atmospheric rivers should serve as a reminder that despite Southern California’s legendary great weather, roughly one in five local houses have long-term risks of flash flood damage. My trusty spreadsheet reviewed real estate risk measurements by CoreLogic, which tells us that 1.1 million residential structures – single-family or multifamily – in the six-county region have at least a moderate risk of suffering damage from flash floods. That hazard is defined as “when precipitation rates are greater than the speed at which water drains into the ground surface.” That means flooding dangers are faced by 21% of all local housing, according to this math. … ” Read more from the OC Register.
DWR approves Yucaipa’s Groundwater Sustainability Plan
“The state Department of Water Resources (DWR) has approved the Groundwater Sustainability Plan for the Yucaipa Basin, which was a collaborative effort by Yucaipa Valley Water District (YVWD) and seven other water agencies. The Jan. 18 staff report prepared by the Department of Water Resources noted that groundwater storage in the Yucaipa Basin has increased since 2008 when YVWD began using imported State Water Project water for direct deliveries rather than relying exclusively on groundwater pumping to satisfy local water demands. Groundwater levels have “improved significantly” in the Calimesa and North Bench management areas, the staff report states. The increase in groundwater levels is also attributed to the aggressive use of recycled water throughout the Yucaipa Valley. … ” Read more from the Yucaipa Daily Mirror.
SAN DIEGO
Sewage across borders: the Tijuana River is spewing wastewater into San Diego amid historic storms, which could threaten public health
“For Jose Cariman, the smell permeating his house is worst at night. A retired, stay-at-home dad, Cariman lives in a single-family home in the Coral Gate community of San Diego’s San Ysidro District, about 2 miles from Tijuana—close enough that his wife’s family can walk over the border from Mexico for dinner. “The only problem,” he said on Tuesday, “is I didn’t realize when I bought the house, the proximity to the Tijuana River and all the complications that come with it.” Winding around 120 miles northward from Mexico to California before reaching the ocean on the U.S. side of the border, the Tijuana River carries millions—at times, billions—of gallons of sewage across the border each day. Extreme weather events like the unprecedented storms currently pummeling the San Diego area can overwhelm California’s and Tijuana’s sewage treatment plants, causing wastewater to overflow in South Bay communities, including San Ysidro, Imperial Beach and Coronado. Some estimates suggest that storms at the end of January sent at least 14.5 billion gallons of raw sewage into the Tijuana River Valley. … ” Read more from Inside Climate News.
Along the Colorado River …
USBR: Reclamation publishes overview of Colorado River evaporation history
“The Bureau of Reclamation today published an overview of historical natural losses along the lower Colorado River. The Mainstream Evaporation and Riparian Evapotranspiration report looks at water surface evaporation, soil moisture evaporation, and plant transpiration. It will be used by Reclamation as a source of data as it manages regional water operations and to improve the agency’s modeling efforts. “Reclamation’s approach to water management in the Colorado River Basin and across all Reclamation states is based on best available science, transparency, and inclusivity.” said Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. “The release of the Mainstream Evaporation and Riparian Evapotranspiration study today evidences this commitment by informing our partners and the public about river and reservoir evaporation and transpiration in the Colorado River Basin.” The report provides an overview of average mainstream losses from both river and reservoir evaporation, as well as the evaporation and transpiration associated with vegetation and habitats along the river. … ” Read more from the Bureau of Reclamation.
Arizona lawmakers advance bill to set up regulation of rural groundwater
“On a party-line vote, an Arizona Senate Committee approved a bill Wednesday to establish a rural groundwater management setup that’s favored by many farming interest groups but opposed by many environmentalists and some rural community leaders. The bill, introduced by Buckeye Republican Sen. Sine Kerr, would establish a complex legal and governmental process to designate groundwater basin management areas with the goal of reducing groundwater depletion while maintaining the area’s economy and agricultural base. The Republican-led Senate Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee voted 4-3 to support the measure. … ” Read more from the Arizona Daily Star.
Utah looks to other states for more water under new bill
“A much-anticipated water bill brought by one of the most powerful lawmakers on Capitol Hill became public Thursday. Senate President Stuart Adams’s SB 211, titled “Generational Water Infrastructure Amendments,” seeks to secure a water supply for decades to come. It forms a new council comprised of leadership from the state’s biggest water districts that will figure out Utah’s water needs for the next 50 to 75 years. It also creates a new governor-appointed “Utah Water Agent” with a $1 million annual budget that will “coordinate with the council to ensure Utah’s generational water needs are met,” according to a news release. But combing through the text of the bill reveals the water agent’s main job will be finding an out-of-state water supply. … ” Read more from the Salt Lake Tribune.
Snowpack level rebounds after week’s steep climb in Upper Colorado River Basin
“Snowpack that will feed the Colorado River this summer has reached 100% of normal levels for the first time in 2024, according to tracking by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Atmospheric rivers this week have soaked Southern California, Southern Nevada and northern Utah. But another flow of moisture through Arizona and into Colorado has produced snow that has helped raise SWE (snow water equivalent) levels to 101% of normal. Just a week ago, Bureau of Reclamation maps showed SWE levels at 85%. But it’s been a very good seven days for the Upper Colorado River Basin. … ” Read more from KLAS.
In national water news today …
Insurers race to study wildfires as losses mount
“A small engineering team at a cavernous lab in South Carolina spends its days setting buildings, fences and bushes on fire — and studying what happens next. The research is for the U.S. insurance industry, which has suffered historic losses over the last decade in blazes that have leveled entire communities. The industry in response has tapped the scientists to investigate how wildfires spread through urban areas, a field of study that has taken on greater importance as climate change fuels bigger and more destructive wildfires. “The impact that it’s having on our communities is the likes of which we have never seen in past decades,” said Anne Cope, who leads the team of engineers at the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, an industry-backed nonprofit. “We have to put a stop to it.” … ” Read more from E&E News.
