On the calendar today …
- WEBINAR: California Water Culture: An overview of how California’s unique waterways have been transformed, how it happened, and what it means, from 7-8:30pm. California is unique and arguably infamous for many reasons. Water in California is beginning to grab the attention it deserved long ago as the once waterlogged landscape is unrecognizable farmlands, leveed deltas, and expanded deserts. How did California’s water go unnoticed for so long only to become a hot topic? This talk will overview the ties between California’s culture and how it revolves around water & its plants and how the relationship has evolved over the past couple hundred years. Can California balance the needs of the citizens, the landscape, and the economy? This question may not be answered in this talk but insights and realistic perspectives will be given and discussed that may help open a productive dialogue. Click here for more information and to register.
In California water news today …
Atmospheric river storms are getting stronger, and deadlier. The race to understand them is on
Lauren Dauphin/NASA Earth Observatory
“The storm raged over California for more than five days. As the powerful atmospheric river made landfall, furious winds and torrential downpours ripped trees from their roots, turned streets into rivers and sent mud cascading into homes. Along with chaos, the storm brought opportunity. Scientists were ready, on land and in-flight, to deploy instruments that measure atmospheric rivers like this one. They released tools from planes, equipped with small parachutes, or floated them up from the ground attached to balloons, directly into the storm’s path. These small but mighty devices provide key intelligence that will help improve weather forecasts as the climate crisis makes already powerful storms more dangerous. … ” Read more from The Guardian.
SEE ALSO: The escalating impact of global warming on atmospheric rivers, from EOS
California isn’t ready for a megaflood. Or the loss of Daniel Swain.
“Powerful storms drenched California last week, as massive rivers in the sky unleashed destructive downpours and winds that caused widespread flooding and mudslides, toppled trees that killed four people in Northern California, cut power to nearly 900,000 people statewide and dumped record-setting rainfall on Southern California, which is under a state of emergency. Last month, leading up to the meteorological onslaught, anxious Californians hoped to allay fears amplified on social media about an impending megaflood by checking in with the man they rely on to deliver the unvarnished facts. Hundreds logged on to the online “office hours” of Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with joint appointments at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, where he’s based. Swain, the rare climate scientist with training in meteorology, has become the Carl Sagan of extreme weather, translating highly complex science into plain language. “If you’ve been on TikTok, or if you’ve been following certain Twitter accounts, you might well believe that California is gonna get washed off the map in the next seven to 10 days,” Swain told his audience in late January. He quickly set the record straight. … ” Read the full story from Inside Climate News.
Audio: It’s been raining a lot in California. Can the influx of water be put to good use?
“Atmospheric rivers recently soaked California. NPR’s Steve Inskeep talks to Karla Nemeth of the state’s Department of Water Resources, about protecting residents from floods and future water needs.” Listen at KUNM.
California weather: Upcoming storms could push some locations toward February records
“Many California cities are already well ahead of their February rainfall normals, but another turbulent weather pattern is expected to push some areas toward monthly records this week. The week will start out dry, with mostly sunny skies on Monday and Tuesday. … Multiple storms are likely to bring widespread rainfall to the Golden State from Saturday through Wednesday of next week. San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego are in line for several inches of rain, and potentially periods of gusty wind. It is unlikely the storms will wreak as much havoc as the rain and wind earlier this month, but at least moderate impacts are still expected. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Our El Niño winter could make way for a La Niña summer
“The powerful El Niño pattern that brought wet weather and deadly storms to California this winter may finally be weakening, forecasters have said. But our weather weirdness could get even weirder later this year. Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say the odds are increasing that La Niña will develop in the Pacific sometime this summer. The weather pattern is associated with cooler, drier conditions. It all starts in the tropical Pacific, where winds pushing hot water toward Asia cause the jet stream over North America to shift north. That means less moisture, and the moisture that does come arrives in the Pacific Northwest, more than in California. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
California water challenges remain despite significant precipitation in 2023
“The winter of 2022-23 brought historic levels of precipitation to California after years of deep drought, dwindling reservoirs, and groundwater depletion. In the first quarter of 2023, most of the state received rainfall exceeding historic averages, with some areas experiencing 200%, or even 300% of average levels. According to the US Drought Monitor, the state is currently drought-free, although some regions are still considered abnormally dry. Despite heavy precipitation over the past year, California’s drought resilience remains in question, as critical infrastructure projects face staunch opposition and climate change increases the likelihood of extreme and prolonged droughts. Regulators and water managers had a busy 2023 as they grappled with persistently low groundwater levels, planned for additional water storage and conveyance, and continued to advance water conservation initiatives. This blog post summarizes key actions taken by state and federal officials in 2023 with respect to California’s water supply and provides an outlook for 2024. … ” Read more from Latham & Watkins.
Intensifying atmospheric rivers are leading to a surge in Valley fever cases in California
“Last week, a long, narrow section of the earth’s atmosphere funneled trillions of gallons of water eastward from the Pacific tropics and unleashed it on California. This weather event, known as an atmospheric river, broke rainfall records, dumped more than a foot of rain on parts of the state, and knocked out power for 800,000 residents. At least nine people died in car crashes or were killed by falling trees. But the full brunt of the storm’s health impacts may not be felt for months. The flooding caused by intensifying winter rainstorms in California is helping to spread a deadly fungal disease called coccidioidomycosis, or Valley fever. “Hydro-climate whiplash is increasingly wide swings between extremely wet and extremely dry conditions,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at University of California, Los Angeles. Humans are finding it difficult to adapt to this new pattern. But fungi are thriving, Swain said. Valley fever, he added, “is going to become an increasingly big story.” … ” Read more from Grist.
Recent snowstorms may bolster California hydroelectric output this summer
“All the rain that has led to swollen rivers and flooding in parts of San Diego and large portions of Southern California has coincided with multiple snowstorms that blew across the Sierra Nevada in the northern half of the state. That may translate to a second consecutive year of robust output from the state’s hydroelectric power plants, which would help bolster the electric grid this summer. But officials at the California Independent System Operator, which manages the power system for about 80 percent of the state, aren’t celebrating yet. “It’s always encouraging to have a wet winter and a good snowpack,” California ISO spokesperson Anne Gonzales said, “but it’s too early to tell the full impact of the recent rains and snowfall on electricity supplies through the summer and into fall.” … ” Read more from the Lawton Constitution.
How irrigation harms (or helps) streamflows in the west
“Between mountain ranges that characterize the American West lay expanses of deserts and arid plains. Water is an invaluable resource here, so folks in the West often notice when the amount of water flowing through the landscape strays from the norm. Over recent decades, changes in streamflows—decreases and increases alike—have often been chalked up to climate change. Largely across the board, science agrees. But one recent study suggests that a changing climate doesn’t account for the full spectrum of change. Enter irrigation. Nearly 90 percent of human water consumption in the West goes toward irrigation that supports agriculture such as grain and livestock, according to the December study published in the journal Communications, Earth and Environment and led by hydrologist David Ketchum. … ” Read more from the Mountain Journal.
Report: Unlicensed cannabis grows use more water than licensed grows in California
“The University of California, Berkeley (UCB) recently published a scientific brief in February regarding illegal water use for cannabis plants. Entitled “Water Use: Cannabis in Context,” the brief was conducted by individuals at the Berkeley Cannabis Research Center, which is part of the College of Environmental Science Policy & Management. The Cannabis Research Center has been reviewing cannabis water use since 2017, and the most recent brief is split into four sections posed with a question. First, “How much water does cannabis use relative to stream flow?” explains that cannabis water use in regions along the Northern California coast and semi-inland areas (primarily Humboldt and Mendocino County) represents a “small fraction” of surface water supplies year-round, and especially during the months of July, August, and September. However, cannabis grows aren’t spread out evenly amongst these areas, with many farms gathered near one another. … ” Continue reading at High Times.
California’s war on plastic bag use seems to have backfired. Lawmakers are trying again
“It was a decade ago when California became the first state in the nation to ban single-use plastic bags, ushering in a wave of anti-plastic legislation from coast to coast. But in the years after California seemingly kicked its plastic grocery sack habit, material recovery facilities and environmental activists noticed a peculiar trend: Plastic bag waste by weight was increasing to unprecedented levels. According to a report by the consumer advocacy group CALPIRG, 157,385 tons of plastic bag waste was discarded in California the year the law was passed. By 2022, however, the tonnage of discarded plastic bags had skyrocketed to 231,072 — a 47% jump. Even accounting for an increase in population, the number rose from 4.08 tons per 1,000 people in 2014 to 5.89 tons per 1,000 people in 2022. The problem, it turns out, was a section of the law that allowed grocery stores and large retailers to provide thicker, heavier-weight plastic bags to customers for the price of a dime. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
PG&E decision jeopardizes Eel River diversions that keep the Russian River flowing year-round
“Some public officials have likened it to Lucy snatching the football from Charlie Brown in old Peanuts cartoons. But a decision by Pacific Gas & Electric to reverse its position on certain aspects of its surrender plan for the Potter Valley powerhouse is no laughing matter. In fact, it threatens water supply for more than 600,000 Russian River water users. Initially willing to accommodate requests from water managers and stakeholder partners in Sonoma and Mendocino counties, PG&E has decided to proceed with license surrender for the Potter Valley plant without including provisions that would facilitate continued water diversions from the Eel River into the Russian. A spokesman said including needs for future diversions as part of the utility’s federal license surrender created unwanted liabilities and threatened to delay removal of Scott and Cape Horn dams as part of its plant decommissioning. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat (gift article).
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Redding man’s film about Shasta County drought wins Cannes Film Festival award
“Redding filmmaker Tyler Faires is bringing world attention to the North State’s devastating drought and larger climate implications throughout California. And his documentary film, ‘ACID Canal,’ is winning awards. Faires’ film delves into a complex topic: How massive water allocation cuts imposed by government agencies affected communities in Anderson and Cottonwood in 2022. The film examines the economic, political and cultural impacts the drought brought to the district’s rural residents and farmers. The film won the Cannes World Film Festival’s Best Environmental Documentary award for Faires and his Redding-based production company, Faires Wheel Films. … ” Read more from the Redding Record Searchlight.
BAY AREA
Pacifica’s coast contending with climate change
“The coastal town of Pacifica is toeing a fine line, balancing Coastal Commission regulations on sea-level rise and erosion, which favors strict remodel standards and minimizing armoring in threatened areas, with residents’ desire to protect property and homes with physical barriers and redevelopment. Scientists refer to a gradual pullback from the coastal shoreline to move development out of harm’s way as “managed retreat” — a term the Pacifica City Council rejected outright when preparing a 2020 draft of their Local Coastal Land Use Plan, a document which regulates land use, resource protection and development along the coast. … ” Read more from the San Mateo Daily Journal.
CENTRAL COAST
Santa Cruz Mayor’s message | We must secure our water future
Santa Cruz mayor Fred Keeley writes, “As we confront climate change, the famous quote, “Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over,” resonates as a stark reminder of the historical significance of water scarcity in California. Rather than succumbing to the adversarial notion embedded in the quote, Santa Cruz’s approach to water supply planning draws upon our community’s reputation for collaboration and environmental stewardship. While we got plenty of rain last winter and this winter, we must avoid being lulled into a false sense of water security. Climate change is impacting the year-to-year management of our water supply and making it hard to know what the future holds. Solving this challenge demands our collective attention. Our local water supply and way of life in Santa Cruz, we depend on it. … ” Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Sea otters helping hold up kelp forest
“Within the last century, the recovery of southern sea otters, the unofficial mascot of Central California, has contributed to the health of California’s underwater forests according to a new research paper from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Researchers found that off the Central Coast, kelp forests are more resilient to climate change and have increased where southern sea otters are present, compared to the decreases Northern and Southern California without sea otters. “This particular study really demonstrates the value of using historical data to better understand important ecological relationships between top predators, other environmental factors, and changes in our coastal ecosystems, like kelp forests,” said Teri Nicholson, a senior research biologist for the Monterey Bay Aquarium Sea Otter Program and the author of the research paper. “It also helps us and others to develop more informed and effective conservation strategies moving forward.” … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald.
Lake Cachuma fills to capacity, continues to spill in wake of major storms
“Lake Cachuma — a major water source for Santa Barbara County — finally filled to capacity early Sunday morning. The county Public Works Department reported that the reservoir in the Santa Ynez Valley reached the 753-foot elevation — the point at which is considered 100% full — at 3:30 a.m. Water has been streaming through the gates at Bradbury Dam for more than a week, as reservoir managers made room for runoff from recent major storms. … ” Read more from Noozhawk.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Hanford residents see another water rate hike
“The Hanford City Council on Tuesday evening approved increasing the wastewater utility rates effective March 1. There were two public speakers, and both expressed their opposition to the increases. The first speaker said, “take little bites,” and explained the initial 35% increase, effective March 1, is too high. “You haven’t done it since 2011 —I’m impressed — but why now 35%,” he said. … ” Read more from the Hanford Sentinel.
Community Voices: Water management toolkit and playbook for the Kern
“Few know it, but Kern County is one of the most progressive water management regions in the state, if not the world, drawing interest from those looking for creative ways to manage variable and often unpredictable water supplies. There are numerous examples of locally developed water management projects that allow water managers to deal with California’s highly variable hydrology more effectively. The crown jewel among these is the Kern Water Bank. This project, like all water banks, captures wet-year water (like 2023) and recharges it in the underground. This stored or banked water is recovered with wells and used to meet agricultural and urban demands during periods of drought. … ” Read more from the Bakersfield Californian.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Storm-related spills offer glimpse of possible future for the Pacific
“Last week’s torrential rains created a cluster of sewage spills in Southern California that, at any other time, might’ve been huge environmental news. On Monday, Feb. 5, about 8 million gallons of raw waste flowed into the Dominguez Channel and from there, into the ocean at Cabrillo Beach. Just before and just after that event, at least four smaller spills hit Seal Beach, Palos Verdes and Doheny Beach among other places. All of the spills were rain-related and all posed measurable threats to public health. But, collectively, the spills also exemplified the stakes in what many experts describe as a race to save the ocean off Southern California, a race that’s shaped by global warming, public money and time. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
County approves purchase of algae control system for Wiest Lake
“The Imperial County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to purchase and install an algae control system for Wiest Lake Park Tuesday, February 6, during their regular meeting. The action was taken to help control future algae blooms in Wiest Lake. Wiest Lake is in Brawley. The Imperial County Department of Public Works in coordination with Imperial County Public Health’s Environmental division have been looking for alternatives to mitigate the ongoing algae issue in Wiest Lake. At a cost of $72,490, the MPC-Buoy is a floating, solar-powered ultrasonic wave system designed to eradicate algae blooms. … ” Read more from the Desert Review.
Along the Colorado River …
With climate change, Colorado River officials peer into muddy future
“To ensure that the Colorado River can remain a lifeline for 40 million people, the federal government is looking for answers in the extremes of the distant past and the warnings of a hotter future. In a low-slung building at the University of Colorado at Boulder, a group of engineers and scientists have developed a cutting-edge approach to help negotiators fashion the next major deal to divvy up the dwindling river for decades to come. Despite significant rainfall in recent months, Lake Mead could return to near-historic lows by 2025. As the Bureau of Reclamation looks to reach a deal by the end of the year — before a potential change in administration — the agency is, for the first time, putting climate change at the center of how it’s planning the future. … ” Continue reading at the Washington Post (gift article).
In national water news today …
The world is losing migratory species at alarming rates
“Humans are driving migratory animals—sea turtles, chimpanzees, lions and penguins, among dozens of other species—towards extinction, according to the most comprehensive assessment of migratory species ever carried out. The State of the World’s Migratory Species, a first of its kind report compiled by conservation scientists under the auspices of the U.N. Environment Programme’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre, found population decline, a precursor to extinction, in nearly half of the roughly 1,200 species listed under the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), a 1979 treaty aimed at conserving species that move across international borders. … ” Read more from Inside Climate News.
The planet needs solar power. Can we build it without harming nature?
“For pronghorn, those antelope-like creatures of the American West, this grassland north of Flagstaff is prime habitat. It gives the animals the food and conditions they need to survive fall and winter. But for a nation racing to adopt renewable energy, the land is prime for something else: solar panels. … Animals need humans to solve climate change. But they also need places to live. Loss of habitat is the top driver of a staggering global decline in biodiversity, the variety of life on earth. The boom in solar, set to be the fastest-growing energy source in the United States, is predicted to fence off millions of acres across the nation, blanketing them in rows of glassy squares. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
How much carbon can farmers store in their soil? Nobody’s sure.
“Dirt, it turns out, isn’t just worm poop. It’s also a humongous receptacle of carbon, some 2.5 trillion tons of it — three times more than all the carbon in the atmosphere. That’s why if you ask a climate wonk about the U.S. farm bill — the broad, trillion-dollar spending package Congress is supposed to pass this year (after failing to do so last year) — they’ll probably tell you something about the stuff beneath your feet. The bill to fund agricultural and food programs could put a dent in the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, some environmental advocates say, if it does one thing in particular: Help farmers store carbon in their soil. … ” Read more from Grist.
More news and commentary in the weekend edition …
In California water news this weekend …
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Spring colors at Hakone Gardens in Saratoga, California. Photo by Peter Theony. California faces renewed ‘significant flooding risk’ as more atmospheric river storms loom next week
- California’s flood defenses held this time, but they are weakening
- La Niña on the horizon? California’s wild weather year could get even weirder
- Despite historic rains, the west’s “snow drought” spells trouble for wineries
- Physics to fish: Habitat restoration for native fish populations in California’s Central Valley
- Where does CDFW experiment with the delta smelt population stand?
- California Farm Water Coalition submits comments on Sacramento/Delta update to Bay Delta Plan
- The hidden threat from rising coastal groundwater
- California sea otters nearly went extinct. Now they’re rescuing their coastal habitat
- California introduces rule to end fracking in the state
- New film profiles immediate actions to restore California’s wildfire-vulnerable forests
- Tahoe’s snowpack: ‘disappointing,’ but not a concern
- Lawmakers propose measure they believe would save Bay from future flooding
- Does San Diego need a water quality tax to help with flood prevention?
- Long-term Colorado River rescue plan at an impasse? It’s north vs. south in the West
- And more …
Click here for the weekend digest.
